Free Rapture by Phillip W. Simpson

lengths to keep my distance so that I would not be confronted with something I was not prepared for. Now that I can see it with my own eyes, I cannot deny the truth of it. You are what Hikari told me you were. A demon. A half-breed perhaps, but a demon nonetheless.”
    Sam knew what he was. Even though, to be called such by a stranger – a priest, no less - hurt him more than he cared to admit.
    Father Rainey sighed and ran his hand through his thick black hair as Aimi returned to apply salve to Sam’s injured hand. The priest waited patiently until she had finished. Sam could tell the priest wanted her to leave but Aimi stubbornly refused to move. She sat next to Sam on the couch, holding his injured hand.
    Father Rainey looked to Hikari. Sam’s master shrugged and spread his arms wide. “Aimi already knows the truth, Tobias. She can stay.”
    When it was obvious that Aimi had no intention of leaving, Father Rainey sighed again and continued.
    “I have been putting this moment off. It is time for you to know the truth of your existence. Hikari asked me to come here today and speak to you. Your master and I have been friends for years – since Japan in fact, where I spent two years. After your mother was … seduced … by a demon and your subsequent birth, Hikari and I have been conducting extensive research. Your birth heralds a time that has long been prophesized by the Bible. I refer, of course, to the Rapture.”
    Despite his anger, Sam nodded. He knew of the Rapture. Hikari had spoken of it before but Sam was keen to hear about it from a different perspective.
    “The Rapture is, as you probably know, a time when the Lord Jesus will return to Earth. All worthy believers, dead and alive, will rise up in the sky to meet him. The innocent, such as young children, will also ascend to heaven to be with our saviour.
    “The timing of this event has been subject to much debate. Most Christians, regardless of denomination, believe that Christ will return at some point and lead the devout to salvation. Of course, no-one knows when this will occur. Until now.
    “Some years ago, I had a vision. In this vision, the Archangel Gabriel appeared before me and told me that the Rapture was almost upon us. She told me that it will occur well within my own life time and that we must prepare ourselves for what follows. My faith is strong, but I am not proud enough to assume that I was the only one chosen to see this vision. In fact, I would have doubted it had not Hikari had the same vision on exactly the same night.
    “What follows the Rapture has also been debated. Some believe that there will be seven years of hell on earth. This is known as the Tribulation and is a time where the Antichrist will rise up. Some believe that the Tribulation will occur before the Rapture, some after and some at various times in between. Even my own Catholic church has different beliefs to my own. Many believe that the Tribulation will never even occur. I confess that until my vision, I did not know what to believe.
    “Now, once again, although I am wary of appearing too proud, I believe that I, Hikari, Aimi and all other believers will be taken by the Rapture. Many will be left behind to endure the Tribulation - non-believers and those who have evil in their hearts.”
    “What about me?” asked Sam in a voice so quiet that Father Rainey was forced to lean forward in his seat. It was the first time he had spoken since the priest began his sermon.
    The priest shook his head and sat back. “No, Sam. You will not be taken by the Rapture. The higher order of demons were once angels. They were cast out of Heaven along with their leader, the Father of Lies. The same blood that runs in their veins also runs in yours. Like them, you are forever denied entry into Heaven. That is not your destiny. Your destiny is to provide succour for the good souls left behind. And there will be many.”
    Sam felt his anger bubbling again. Why would the Rapture not take