Better Things Ahead (The Faceless Future Trilogy Book 2)

By Nate Allen

Although the claims of the Credit Chip causing outbursts of violence are few and far between (the closed minded digging in their heels, no doubt) the stories are shocking nonetheless. They range from murders in once loving families to mass killings in churches and venues throughout America. You can brush it under the rug like most people have but the stories are only growing worse as the days wear on.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nate Allen
• Release date: Dec 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370430550

Book preview

Better Things Ahead

Book 2

Nate Allen

Copyright 2018

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1

"Since the assassination attempt on the president’s life four months and one week ago, many have believed it to be attached to a Christian group that call themselves The Holy Army. We are now receiving reports from multiple sources that confirm this. One can only hope that soon we will get to see the monst—persons responsible finally brought to justice." The TV sat on a small stand in Ken’s one bedroom apartment, Lidia Johnson talking while they played footage that included a wall covered in bible verse graffiti, the attempted assassination, and a large group of picketers holding up signs that ranged from The End is Here to The Devil Comes as an Angel of Light on a loop with the news anchor’s voice a biting narration. It was interrupting the basketball game. It will be interesting to see what the president does in light of this new information. It is no secret that many people from this religion have stood in opposition to every move he has made, hiding behind wild interpretations of the book of Revelation. As we step ever closer to a truly unified people, it is clear that the holdouts are doing everything in their power to keep things the way they have been for far too long. I have never been happier to report that the efforts of the hateful are being torn down daily. This group was unsuccessful when they tried to take away President Pummel and they are unsuccessful now.

After suffering through tragedy, drastic change is the quickest way to become functional again. No longer in the house where his dad was murdered, no longer forced to see the spot where Kyle bled to death—Ken could finally push them into a category that no longer belonged with him. He would always love them but letting them drift into a category of never-was helped him focus on what he was now trying to build.

A new relationship with Rosy’s Savior was still an alien concept to him. Though the base for it had a speck of genuine desire built in, most of it was desperation. She had left him with a message of hope, pointing her arrow toward Christ. A last option for a young man that had lived most of his life following whichever way the wind was blowing. When every one of the foundations you have built your life on crumble in a moment, desperation is the only thing that will force you to stand again. He trusted Rosy and believed one day he would experience something close to what she claimed about Christ. But, so far his relationship with Christ hadn’t gone past the moment he asked Him into his heart. Pastor John led him in the prayer and he did just enough to qualify—just enough to see his Rosy again one day.

As Ken watched the Breaking News Announcement continue, waiting for the game to return, he understood that just getting by wasn’t an option. A line was currently being drawn. He was either with the movement of unity or against it. If there was a middle ground, he gladly would have planted his roots and lived out the rest of his days riding the fence. That option was gone.

Rosy says you gave her strength to make it through each day. I don’t understand how that works. It was still such an alien concept to him, talking to the Unseen. I wouldn’t believe in You if it wasn’t for Rosy. I never gave her everything I had. How can I give it to You? I don’t know You. I knew her and I still kept her at distance. His long pause was filled with a thousand reasons, the most prominent being embarrassment. His dad would have been so ashamed of him— I was always taught that weak people need You or even the idea of a god. How do I apply You to my life?

The game came back on, ending his one sided conversation with an unanswered question.

*

The Cardiff house was empty of everyone but Deborah, a haunted prison that she didn’t know how to leave. She was alone, scared of change and unwilling to seek it out. Change meant leaving behind everything she had lost. Change meant accepting that her best days were gone and she was left with nothing but small pieces. Ken, her remaining tether, moved out because change was his only hope for moving past the worst time in their life.

She was afraid to make a move one way or the other. Her once whole family was now down to two and she worried that Ken, looking to escape the past, was going to leave her there as well. Her life had been a beautiful picture not long ago. Now it was a picture emptied of everything meaningful.

A soft knock appeared at the side door. As was common, she was standing in the kitchen in low light, wishing she could return to the night she lost everything and do things differently.

Coming, her voice, though soft, echoed in the empty house. It was nearly dark out, the light blue sky now covered with bruises. She opened the door finding a young man, no older than Ken, standing at her top step. Without saying a word, he handed her a small pamphlet and then walked away. Written on the front in black letters: Are You Going to Heaven?

2

A pastor to a shrinking congregation and now the legal guardian to both Lily and Willow, John Watcher felt like his knees were about to buckle. Over two dozen people had already left the church, convinced that they had been abandoned. The rapture was supposed to take them away from it all before it even began. And yet, they were now in the thick of it.

Although John could understand where they were coming from, he had always been careful not to interpret scripture to simply fit his understanding. Popular interpretations of when The Lord will come appear to be incorrect but God is still faithful. Explaining this to his congregation helped very little. They weren’t ready to go through this. They wanted to be caught up and removed from danger. They were a heavy weight on his mind.

But even heavier were those two girls, battered and bruised by life, now trying to rebuild. His boy, John Jr., was the same age as Lily. He had been surprisingly accommodating to the idea, doing what he could to make them feel welcome. Only God knew that his position as the girls’ godfather (something Robert and Melissa had asked him when the girls were just little) would someday put them legally under his guardianship. Only God knew…

John had always been looked to for the answers. This had only increased after the president came back to life. Members of his congregation kept shuffling in asking if the Credit Chip was truly the mark of the beast. When John told them he believed it was, they then started to ask if God’s grace was enough to save those tricked into receiving it, hoping to God for their family’s sake. These were questions he tried to answer but the answer he gave wasn’t favorable. It only offended them.

A speaker of truth, John understood the price he would have to pay—it had already started. Many dear friends and members of the church had already fallen away from his influence to seek out a pastor that offered some kind of false hope concerning the Credit Chip. Always a man known to display a warm smile, John hid the struggle well. People expected a pillar of the faith. It was his calling to be just that.

A soft knock came at the door to his bedroom.

Come in, he replied, retightening his blue tie as he stood up from sitting at the edge of his bed. Nobody needed to see the weight weighing down on him.

*

A signature of sadness marked each one of Willow’s days. She missed Rosy. She missed her mom. But, the sadness wasn’t overwhelming. Her mom and older sister were safe.

Willow approached everyday with the mentality of borrowed time. It had never been clearer to her that life doesn’t truly belong to anyone. Much like an old clock, it will tick on quietly day after day, stopping suddenly and without warning.

Though the sudden answer to their desperate prayer hit Willow like a series of crashing waves when Lily was given confirmation, the shock faded and relief took its place. Of course there were moments where regret sat with her, asking question after question, and claiming that praying for The Lord to take her home was an unforgivable overreaction. It even tried to claim that Willow’s motivation wasn’t fully selfless since she had wondered in the past, during her mom’s deep and lingering sadness, whether life would be easier without her. Sadly, in many ways, it was.

Now eighteen years old, Willow had considered moving her and Lily to their own place. The world was changing gradually enough that it was easy to forget that soon it would be difficult to stay anywhere. Money was becoming obsolete, which meant debts had to be paid in full while the dollar was still accepted. Since Willow was the legal age, her mom’s $100,000 life insurance policy was hers to use. In Melissa’s will, it was stated that the total would be split equally between her three daughters…

The check now being in Willow’s possession, she and Lily had discussed many options. Knowing that the dollar was set to become irrelevant the first minute into the New Year, they discussed the best road for longevity. Both agreed it was found with Pastor John. Willow hadn’t yet discussed what they were thinking with him but she planned on having a meeting that night.

She knocked on his door quietly, looking back toward Lily who was already sitting at the dining room table.

*

Everywhere Lily went, she saw Spirits tethered to the damned. She had even seen a few at her mom’s funeral. A few on-again-off-again members of the church attended, hiding the fact that they had gotten the procedure done when they were off-again. They hid it but Lily could see. And it broke her heart.

Unaware of the severity of the decision made, strangers, acquaintances, parents of friends—the list continued down a sad trajectory. And Lily was left knowing nothing (or very little) of their stories while already knowing their end. Too often when she closed her eyes to sleep she saw the stairs leading countless people down into the dark. Her gift was special and she cherished it, but it was always heavy. And it was only getting heavier.

Though closer to Willow than before, Lily knew she would never hold a normal relationship with anyone. She saw too much to be ignorant of the hidden details. And she wore her heart on her sleeve, unable to pretend everything was okay when it wasn’t. She was quiet often, even more so now that her misplaced words ultimately led to her mom’s death.

Even though she interacted very little, John Jr. was kind to her. A current classmate in two subjects and now her literal next door neighbor in the 4 bedroom 2 ½ bath