Chapter 1- Speculation leads to Worship; Possession leads to a Trial of Emotions
Marco awoke late one night. He stood up, stretched, and looked at his watch. It was midnight; he felt renewed, he felt as though he was being called to the surface.
The area around him was completely shrouded in an abyss of darkness. He rose to the surface, raised his hands to the sky and began to sing:
Open up, my eyes to see
All of You, Your mysteries
I hold my breath, You hold my hand
As heaven melts the heart of man
How amazed I am
(Chorus)
Your glory fills the sky,
A great and holy light
Shining like a million stars,
I'm amazed by who You are
Lord we lift You high,
Oh God be magnified
You have overwhelmed my heart,
I'm amazed by who You are
The universe, is at Your feet
And angels bow, when You speak
So high above, our greatest song
but still You call
and we will come
How amazed I am
Chorus
Your glory fills the skies,
A great and holy light
Shining like a million stars,
I'm amazed by who You are
Lord we lift You high,
Oh God be magnified
You have overwhelmed my heart,
I'm amazed by who You are
You are...
Marco lowered his hands to his sides and breathed the cool night air. "Time to go back to Katherine." He thought. He descended the ladder, landing gracefully on his feet and walking to their bed. He gazed at his wife, passion beginning to stir in his heart as her sleeping form inhaled and exhaled soundly. He smiled, his love for her radiating from his soul.
He fell to one knee, his eyes widening as he grunted in pain. "She doesn't love you, Marco. She's a lying (bleep)." The voice within his head said. Marco breathed heavily, fighting the voice, which sounded masculine. "Who... Who are you? Why do you... ahhhhhh!" He screamed.
He was bombarded with flashes of bombs being deployed from German ships, of blazing fire, of children screaming for their parents, and of Adolf Hitler's maniacal laughter. "S...stop... please." Marco muttered, falling to the ground on his stomach. "Leave her Marco. Get out while you still can." The voice continued.
To his shock it sounded more feminine in tone than it had previously. He writhed, grunting in agony as the visions intensified. He was standing in the middle of a small field, a boy and girl standing opposite each other a few feet away. The boy, at his observation, looked like Peter; the girl strongly resembled Katherine, his wife.
"What is this? What does this mean?" He thought. The two figures began kissing and a second later both were stripped of clothing. "No! This can't be real!" Marco screamed, fury and disbelief beginning to rage within his heart. "She lies." The voice said. Marco clutched his head, unable to think, unable to rationalize what he was seeing.
His wife began screaming; he tried to run to her aid but found himself completely immobile. "This, this can't be real; it has to be some kind of trick!" Marco screamed, his rage rising in intensity. He heard a voice in the distance.
Marco screamed as he was brought back to reality, his vision blurred as the scene came into focus. 3 people surrounded the bed on which he lay. The two he recognized immediately were Peter, his brother, and Wendy, who was enormously pregnant. The other was Katherine, who was clothed in a single blue night-robe.
He was breathing incredibly fast, his heart was racing, his blood-shot eyes longing for rest. Katherine placed her delicate palm on his forehead. "You need to relax, my love. You're going to be fine. For now, sleep. Sleep, my beloved Marco." She said, kissing his lips lightly.
Fatigue was enveloping him more and more with each passing second. "No, no, no; I need to stay awake! I can't let this slide!" He thought. But as the soothing embrace of sleep began taking effect, he threw these thoughts aside, falling back against the pillows.
Peter, Wendy, and Katherine stood in Peter and Wendy's room a moment later. "Bad dream perhaps?" Peter asked, cupping his chin in thought. "I guess, that's the best explanation that we can come up with." Katherine said, sighing.
"Hey, don't get so down on yourself. Marco's stronger than this, it'll take more than a night of no sleep to keep him down." Peter said, placing a hand on Katherine's shoulder. She sobbed and said, "I know. I just want us to live in peace, without interruption, without seeing him experience such unbelievable pain." "And you will, just give Marco some time. He'll pull through, I can promise you that." Peter said, smiling warmly at her.
But the voice persisted, even after Marco had fallen asleep. It haunted him in his dreams, it stalked every corner of his mind. Marco screamed constantly as the night dragged on.