“Am I?” Tori wasn’t so sure.
“Trust God. He will lead you. What are you sensing?”
Tori closed her eyes.Lord, tell me what to do. Don’t let me make another mistake. She heard nothing, sensed nothing but a strong peace that flooded her spirit. She opened her eyes. “That we should find them.”
“Okay, let’s go then. But be careful.”
Tori’s visions from the Lord had never let her down. In fact, even now, the Holy Spirit was leading her, giving her a sense of which way to turn, what hill to climb, what creek to cross. Surely, He would not be doing that if it weren’t His will.
After several more minutes, she heard something. Ever so slight, but there. A chuckle. A male chuckle. A familiar male chuckle. One that made her heart skip a beat.
Inching ahead, Tori swept aside branches and leaves, her heart swelling with excitement, her pulse racing in anticipation. Could it be?Could it really be him, Lord? She sensed no fear, no warning, but only a warmth that swept down to her toes.
Kneeling behind a thick shrub, she eased a clump of leaves aside.
There, beside a pile of wood, sat Thomas and Kyle, smiling and joking as they attempted to light a fire.
Their clothes were mere rags, their hair long and unkempt, their beards full, and they’d both lost weight. But it was them. Tori’s heart swelled at the sight of the man she still loved.
Nyla knelt beside her and let out a gasp at the sight of Kyle, the same questions Tori was asking written on her face. If they were hunting the Deviants, why did they look so ragged and unfed? And why were they smiling and joking around?
“Ask the Lord,” Nyla whispered.
Nodding, Tori closed her eyes and sought the Lord’s still small voice.Should we trust them, Lord?
Yes.
Grinning, Tori rose and after gesturing for Nyla to follow her, brushed aside the foliage, and burst into the clearing.
???
Thomas stared at the one person he’d been dreaming about for two months. The one person he’d longed to see more than anyone—besides the Lord, of course. He must be hallucinating…from hunger, exhaustion, fear. But there she stood, gorgeous as ever with her crazy hair and stunning green eyes, smiling at him.Smiling?
He said nothing. Only jumped to his feet, ran toward her, and took her in his arms.
“Tori! Tori!” He dove his face into her hair and drew in a deep breath of her unique smell. Then cupping her cheeks, he smiled at her, tears pouring down both their faces. “It’s you! I knew it.” He planted kisses all over her face, ending up on her lips.
Nyla suddenly appeared beside them, clearing her throat and separating them. Her gaze landed on Kyle. She hesitated, studying him.
But Kyle didn’t hesitate. Barreling toward his sister, he flew into her arms, embracing her tightly. They both laughed and cried at the same time.
“I told ya,” Thomas said to Kyle, then glanced at Tori. “Told ya she’d know we were here.”
Pushing back from her brother, Nyla wiped her eyes. “How did you find us? Why are you here?”
Kyle nodded at Thomas. “Thomas said he had no clue where your hideout was but that Tori would know when we arrived.”
Thomas gripped Tori’s hand and squeezed. “And she did.”
She shook her head. “I still don’t understand. What happened?”
Drawing a deep breath, Thomas shoved back his messy hair. “Long story.”
Nyla slapped her brother. “Last time I saw you, you tried to kill me.”
Kyle kicked the dirt, grinning. “Yeah, sorry about that, sis. I was wrong.” He glanced at Thomas. “About so much.”
“Are you?” Nyla took a step toward him and stared into his eyes. “You are! You’ve given your life to Jesus!”
