Left book 2 Aftermath

~1~

The morning sun peeked through her window and she reluctantly opened her eyes. It was a morning just as all other mornings had been. Pointless and empty. She and Justin and Sarah had moved in with Danny as they all couldn't bear being alone. She didn't ever want to be alone again. All she could see when she closed her eyes was her mother's tan face. Her smile, her dark brown eyes... Jennie shook her head and the depressing memory faded. But it'd only be temporary. The memory never faded completely. What she'd give to hug her mother once more. She'd been such a bad daughter and she hated knowing she wouldn't be able to change that fact. Her mom had deserved better, than to have a daughter like Jennie, so rebellious and impulsive. The thought of her own actions made Jennie sick. How she hated herself and the way she'd acted. If only I could go back and change things. She held the pillow to her face to stifle her cries. She really had loved Tessa but she could count on one hand the amount of times she'd told her mom that.

There's no point dwelling on the past. She reminded herself. With that depressing thought she went down the stairs and made her way to the kitchen.

"Morning sleepy head." Danny said as he poured some coffee into a mug.

"Morning" she mumbled.

Danny's smile faltered as he saw the bags under Jennie's eyes. "Was Mark's bed not comfortable enough for you?"

"No it was fine." Jennie said as her eyes stayed locked on the countertop. She felt a warm hand touch hers and then a hot mug was pushed into her palm. She looked up to see Danny looking at her with concern.

"I miss them too." He said solemnly.

"But at least you're going to see them again."

"You have that option too."

"I know" Jennie said in frustration. She'd been battling with the decision all night. She couldn't deny that it did seem more real to her now. The whole thing about faith used to seem like a magic word or some fictitious feeling but it was real, Jennie knew that now. It was real for Danny and Sarah and it had been especially real to her mother. "I just need more time."

"There won't be much more of that." Danny said cautiously.

Jennie stayed silent as she knew...in the depth of her heart she knew Danny was right.

"Beat you by a mile!" A young voice behind them yelled.

Jennie turned to see her stepbrother smiling from ear to ear. He looked like he'd just won at the Olympics, in actuality he'd just beaten Sarah in a race to the kitchen.

"You cheated!" Said the young blonde girl. "You tripped me!"

Soon the two were arguing back and forth and Danny sighed in frustration. "I feel like a dad" he admitted.

Jennie smiled at that "you'd make a good dad."

Danny blushed and then he went to break up the fight. "You two need to get along, here" he handed Justin the tv remote. "Watch cartoons or whatever it is kids your age watch."

Justin snorted "I'm not a kid!"

"Well what are you then?"

"I-" Justin stopped and thought about it for a minute.

"He's a kid!" Sarah squealed interrupting his thought process.

"Why you little-" he lunged at Sarah but Danny grabbed him mid lunge. He then sat Justin down on the sofa and then he grabbed Sarah by the shoulders and sat her down beside him. He turned on the tv and turned up the volume.

"My fellow humans I offer my deepest sympathies to all who have lost family and friends..."

"Hey, it's that Israeli guy!" Justin said pointing at the tv. "Emmanuel Ben-Judah!"

Jennie was impressed by Justin's memory but she didn't compliment him she just stared at the TV and listened to Emmanuel.

"In the best interest of all humanity my team of professionally skilled scientists have concocted a new identification code which will help keep track of all family members, this way such a tragedy should not befall us again. Never again will women be grieving over their lost children. This new identification code will be like a tattoo in nature only much more coded and complex. Each microchip will also contain every person's health records so that medical personnel will be better able to care for their patients immediately, by knowing someone's pre-existing health conditions we will be able to save the lives of potentially thousands of individuals. These microchips have been in testing for some time and it is my hope that as early as next week they will be available for all who wish to accept one."

The tv went off as they'd lost power again. It'd happened off and on throughout the night. They all sat there stunned at what they'd just heard.

"What was it you'd said about the mark of the beast, Danny?" Justin asked with a slight quiver in his lower lip. "I'm listening now."

"Me too" said Jennie and she meant it.

Danny breathed out slowly he was so shocked he could barely speak. He hadn't expected everything to go so quickly. He opened up his Bible to the book of revelation. He flipped till he came to the right chapter then he read.
"That no man may buy or sell except he that has the mark..." He read on a little further "take heed, for it is the number of man and his number is 666."

Everyone sat silent as they tried to process what they'd just seen and also what Danny had just read.

"What happens to those who don't take it?" Justin asked though he feared the answer.

Danny felt his heart racing as he solemnly looked at the boy. "They'll lose their head."

"Like literally?" Justin asked, he was so hoping Danny was joking.

But Danny was not joking "yes, literally."

Justin gulped. "So basically we lose either way?"

"If you trust in Jesus you might lose your life here on earth but you'll gain an eternity in heaven." Danny explained.

Jennie was struggling, so desperately struggling, with guilt, with pride and in that moment mostly fear. She feared what would happen if she followed Jesus but she feared even more what might happen if she didn't. "Pray with me." She said in a whisper. At first she thought Danny hadn't heard her but then he turned to her wide-eyed.

"You're ready?" He asked walking towards her.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Me too" Justin piped from the couch.

"I can pray with you, while Danny prays with Jennie." Sarah offered.

Justin nodded and the two clasped hands and bowed their heads.

"Jennie, I'm proud of you " Danny said as his eyes glistened with happy tears.

"Thanks Danny." The two then embraced and prayed together. For the first time in her life Jennie felt peace. A peace she could not explain. She didn't know what laid ahead of them but she felt ready for anything and Justin felt the same.

(Thanks for reading.)

(P.S please read book 1 first)