Perfect World. (On Hold)

15: Broken.

Name: Mark
Location: Rapid City, Outskirts
Time: 0200 hours

He stared at the mug in his hands. The coffee was cold. A hand squeezed his shoulder, walking around the kitchen island and filling his cup with fresh coffee from the pot.

Mandy leaned against the counter, watching him, concern filling her eyes. “How’re you doing, honey?”

His heart warmed slightly at the endevour, which reminded him of his mother, but nothing could ease the pain in his heart. He opened his mouth, but no words came. He closed it and shook his head, closing his eyes as he covered his face with his hands. His brother, the only remaining member of his family, was gone.

I didn’t know him well enough. The realization made his heart clench. The pain intensified to a physical ache. Why didn’t I visit? Did I really have to be off saving the world all the time? When the tears came, they suprised him. When was the last time he’d cried? His mom’s funeral?

His breathing became shudders as the thoughts continued to plague him… His job was to find Christians who were in danger and rescue them, yet he’d caused his own brother to be killed. Where had he been? Sitting in a cafe’ somewheres probably.

He felt Mandy wrapping an arm around his shoulders. She gently squeezed, then released him. “I’ll be upstairs if you need anything.” She said quietly, knowing he needed to be alone. He nodded, listening to her footsteps as she left the room. Then he pulled the laptop over, needing to read the article he hadn’t been able to finish earlier. It had felt like the message was directed at him, and he knew he couldn’t read it with others in the room.

My dearest friends,

I’m writing you from a dark, closet sized room. I’ve been driven to drastic measures, as I’m sure you all have.

These past two years have been that way for many of us. We run, finding shelter for a time, then that shelter is ripped away from us and we must run again. At times it feels as though we are dogs chasing our tails, running and running but never reaching our goal; safety…

But since when has safety been our goal? Dear brothers and sisters, safety is not our goal. If it were, we would not be Christians. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, for God has overcome the world.

The words seem easy to say, but they are far from easy to believe. Even now we hide in the shadows, hunted like dogs. We tell fellow believers; God will not fail us. Yet in our own trouble, these words are almost meaningless.

How did the martyers of old do it? How did Stephen do it? I’ve discovered a secret. A treasure. That treasure is heaven. Without heaven we have no hope. Even while being stoned, Stephen looked to the heavens, dreaming of the beauty that awaited him there. Imagine, your loved ones standing in that perfect place, whole and healthy once more. All pain will be erased.

Imagine; the most beautiful place you can picture, sandy beaches, tropical forests, deep sea diving, the most incredible arcutecture… Well heaven will be like those amazing things, only the years don’t age it, the elements will not take from the beauty. Colors will have even more variety, animals will be friendly and harmless. The lion and the lamb will lie together… And your loved ones will be there too.

Take heart, this broken world will soon be swept clean. Your loved ones and mine will joyously greet us. Those who are gone are safe, they’ve reached the greatest place one can be. Imagine the glories of heaven. Believe.

Hebrews 12:2; ...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Take heart my friends, this won’t last long.

For His glory,
The Truth Seeker

Mark shut the site down, erased it from the history, and closed the laptop. Never make it obvious what the computer was used for, just in case someone came to the house.

He cleaned himself up, looking at the time. It was late, and he needed all the sleep he could get in case things went south.

He went to the bunker, finding Jamie fast asleep, her face peaceful. He smiled. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she knew nothing of the horrors that plagued the world these days, her face looked so innocent.

He sat on his bunk, still trying to connect her to the articles. She certainly had a good cover, being so young, not to mention female. No one would guess she’d infiltrated the CIA, stolen information form highly classified files, broadcasted her articles using FBI privileges… His mind spun. She was a very busy person.

He yawned, remembered the time, and lay down, asleep before his head touched the pillow…

He awoke sometime later to a clicking sound. It took a second for him to sort out where it came from, then he glanced over and smiled at the realization; Jamie was up and typing away, pausing every few minutes, shifting her gaze up and staring at nothing in particular.

He waited until the pause was longer than usual, then cleared his throat. “Busy already?”

Her eyes slowly found him and she blinked. He watched as she slowly faded back into the present. “Sorry, I woke you didn’t I?”

He shrugged, sitting up. “Probably should be up by now anyways.” He replied, glancing at the time. It was only seven, four hours after he’d gone to bed, but he was getting antsy. He stood, he’d slept in sweats, so he didn’t bother getting dressed and went to the entrance, opening it and peeking into the false room.

A delicious aroma met his senses, and his eyes quickly found the platter sitting there. His stomach growled.

He grabbed the platter, smiling at the note that was stuck to one of the plates. Mandy should own a boarding service.

“Breakfast is here.” He announced, carrying the food back into the bunker. The safehouses typically worked this way, as it was too dangerous for them to come up during the day.

She nodded her thanks as he passed her a plate, bowing her head to say grace. He quickly did the same, caught slightly off guard. When was the last time he’d been able to pause and pray before eating? He’d been too busy lately.

“So I guess we have another hike ahead?” She asked while they ate.

“Yup. We’ll wait till dark before moving, I don’t want to take any chances.”

She nodded, staring at her feet, which were stretched out in front of her. “I’m sorry about your brother.”

He swallowed and quickly nodded, looking away. “I know, you already said so.” He said, pulling out his pistol and beginning to disassemble it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her. She stared at him a moment, then turned her attention back to her computer, frowning at it. He pulled out a cotton swab and started cleaning his weapon, all the while, he played the mission over and over in his head…