Free Shaken by Jerry B. Jenkins Page A

now! In the name of Jesus Christ, the almighty God, I command you to leave.”
    The horseman’s face was dark, like a bottomless pit. He turned and looked at Vicki, and she saw the monstrous, evil face with sharp teeth and a look that defied description.
    Vicki turned away and closed her eyes. Father, I ask you to send these things away. If they stay, there’s no way Janie will ever become a believer. Please, have mercy on her and make these things leave .
    Suddenly, the horse reared and waved its hooves in the air. Fire shot from its nostrils and soared over the roof of the schoolhouse. The fire fell like molten lava on the ground, burning trees and bushes. The schoolhouse was unharmed.
    The horseman controlled the demon animal and glared at Vicki. He didn’t say anything, but he seemed to communicate with the others that it was time to leave. They turned from the house and followed the river until they were out of sight.
    Janie had inhaled some of the foul-smelling smoke, but she was still alive when Vicki reached her. They brought her upstairs and tried to help her breathe. When she stopped coughing and gagging, she asked, “What happened?”
    Melinda began to answer, but Vicki held up a hand. “Just rest and we’ll talk about it later.”
    Downstairs, Melinda looked confused. “Don’t you want her to believe?”
    â€œI do,” Vicki said, “but her heart is hard. I don’t know what else God could do to soften it, but I know if we go in there and try to tell her some cosmic horsemen made her cough, she’s going to laugh and say we’re making it up.”
    â€œIt took me a while to realize the truth,” Melinda said. “Maybe she just needs a little more time.”
    â€œWhich is what we don’t have,” Mark said. He called everyone together in the computer room. “I just got a message from Carl in Florida. He says the GC is going ahead with their plans for the satellite schools. A special order was sent out yesterday to the directors of the project to have their centers ready for students within the week.”
    â€œAll this death and devastation and they’re starting a school?” Lenore said.
    â€œCarl said they want to put their own spin on what’s going on.”
    Shelly shook her head. “A third of their classes are going to be gone before the horsemen get done.”
    â€œWe need to figure out a plan about the school nearest us,” Conrad said.
    Mark scratched his chin. “Yeah, but there’s something else Carl said that worries me.”
    Vicki looked over Mark’s shoulder as he read the email out loud. “I told you that part of the reason the GC is starting these schools is to identify possible recruits for their Morale Monitors. Now they have something new brewing. I haven’t been able to find out exactly what it is, but I’m positive it won’t be good for believers.”
    Vicki wondered what new things the GC could dream up to hurt believers. If Tsion Ben-Judah was right, the next few years were going to be anything but easy for those who followed Christ.

    Judd slowly came out of his shell over the next few days. He went to Sam and sat with him for a few hours, not saying a word.
    Finally, the boy opened up and talked about his father. “It feels like my prayers were wasted,” Sam said. “I prayed so hard for him. What went wrong?”
    â€œGod wants people to know him, but he gives us a choice. You and I chose to accept God’s gift. Your dad rejected it.”
    â€œI picture my father suffering now. I wish I could take his place.”
    Judd knelt by Sam. “This is going to hurt for a long time, but you’re not responsible for your dad’s choice. The only person God holds you responsible for is you. You can pray and plead with others, but it’s their decision.”
    Sam nodded and thanked Judd. “You’re right about it taking a long