“I’m not strong, Sara. It’s God who is strong. Lean on Him. Okay?”
She nodded. “Aaron says maybe God doesn’t want to heal me. Maybe He won’t forgive me.”
Fury bubbled in Tori’s gut. “That’s a lie and you know it.”
A loud rumble of thunder shook the ground beneath them. Settling her racing heart, Tori stood and fixed her gaze on Aaron. He capped the last of the bottles, then shook the rain from his hair, laughing with Thomas. How dare he offer any kind of drug to Sara!
She marched toward him, but he moved to hand Brianna her full bottle of water. Carla shrank behind her mom while Brianna handed Callie to Aaron. “Can you hold her a sec while I give Carla some water?”
Before Aaron could grab the baby, Callie shrieked so loud, the drugged homeless peeked out of their tents.
Horrified, Brianna withdrew the child. “I’m so sorry. Must be the storm. I was sure she would be used to you by now.”
“Not a problem.” Aaron smiled, but when he turned away his face seemed to change—if only for a second—into something hideous, dark and reptilian.
Lightning flashed, coating everything in eerie silver.
A shiver etched down Tori’s back. A wisp of darkness slunk around the man.
Until he looked up and saw her staring at him.
A wide smile lit his face as he approached. “Tori, I was thinking with everyone so discouraged that we should all hold hands and pray together. Maybe sing a praise song to chase away these demons of despair.”
Tori searched his eyes for any deception but found none. Maybe she was just tired, seeing things out of her exhaustion. Surely an evil man or demon would not suggest such a thing. “That sounds like a great idea, Aaron. But I need to discuss something with you.”
“Sure.” He leaned on his cane and winced.
“I’m glad you’ve made friends with Sara, but under no circumstances are you to offer her any drugs. And please do not speak for God to her. God loves her, wants to heal her, and forgives her. That’s what His Word says. To tell her otherwise is a lie and highly discouraging.”
His gray eyebrows crossed even as his bottom lip twitched slightly. “I never said such things, Tori.” He glanced over his shoulder at Sara. “I don’t know why she would tell you that. Could be hallucinations from the detox.”
Tori cocked her head, studying his expressions, his tone. He seemed sincere, but her gut was telling her otherwise. Maybe it was that everyone looked to him as some kind of father figure. Her real father had abandoned her at age ten, and the only father she’d known after that had abused her sexually and emotionally. So she supposed she had an issue with “fathers.”
“Okay, then. Maybe you’re right. Let’s get to that prayer.”
After gathering everyone in a circle, Tori asked Aaron to lead them. She had not heard him pray yet, and this would be a good test. A devil in disguise would not be able to pray in Jesus’ name.
But he didn’t pray in Jesus’ name. He prayed to God, yes, the God of the ages, he called him. He prayed for protection, food, healing, and guidance to their hideout. Then he proceeded to offer words of worship to God.
Tori took over with a song of praise to Jesus. Brianna, Sara, and Carla raised their voices high, the sweet sound echoing off the concrete and melding with thetap-tapof rainfall.
Thomas didn’t join in, but she didn’t expect him to. But Aaron? He mouthed the song, but his stance, his expression lacked any zeal. Odd
Tori didn’t have time to consider it when voices from behind her shouted, “Give us your food, water, and clothes, you stinkin’ Deviants!”
Before Tori could respond, Thomas grabbed a large stick from the ground, rushed forward, and pushed her and the others behind him.
“Back off! We want no trouble!” he shouted.
If they weren’t smack in the middle of the worst seven years of human history, it could be a scene out of a romance novel, complete with a brave hero rescuing his lady. The thought made Tori smile, despite the circumstances.
Three men approached—filthy, dressed in rags, and with a stench that overwhelmed even the sweet scent of rain. One of them held a knife.
Thunder bellowed, adding emphasis to Thomas's threat.
“You got one stick, an old man, and women and children,” the leader with the knife said. “Just hand it over or we’ll gut the lot of you.” A drug-induced glaze covered his eyes, almost making him look zombie-like. In fact, all three looked as though they were the walking dead.
Callie screamed. Sara slid behind Brianna. Oddly Carla seemed completely unafraid as she stood beside her mother, staring at something off to the side.
