There was only one thing that Jeremiah could do: Pray. So, without further ado, he began blasting in tongues underneath his breath.

The shock wave of spiritual fire that hit the flying and creeping demons, slamming them to the ground with an alarmingly strong force and surprise that stunned them, was unexpected.

When the squirming and howling, injured-but-not-obliterated ones came to, they scanned the area and located the source of their nemesis.

Jeremiah stood, holding the rail that was at the entrance verandah of the hospital, oblivious to the attention and consequently, the danger he had drawn to himself.

Those spitting, enraged demons charged at him again but were thrown back by the force of his prayer missiles.
Besides, Manuel, his guardian angel, fuelled by his Spirit-directed prayers, was having a wonderful time slicing demons into two neat halves.

Dagon was fuming. A charging bull would have seemed meek in his presence.
"What the hell is keeping us back!" he roared.
The trembling demons that bore his regal form in an entourage suddenly found out that their voices had dried up. It was out of trepidation, not an inability to speak.

"ANSWER ME!" He stood up with a start, his eyes wide open. Black drool leaked from his bared fangs.

"Master, there is resistance," a creeping demon finally said in a small voice.

"Resistance?!"
The unfortunate bearer of the news cringed as bits of saliva from Dagon's mouth fell on his face. It burned.
"Resistance? I awaited this very moment for hundred godforsaken years and you tell me there is resistance?"

"And just where the hell are Leviathan, Behemoth and the Queen?"
He paced to and fro, his heavy weight causing slight tremors in the spiritual floor.

His eyes narrowed on Jeremiah. He growled more menacingly when he saw the mighty, gladiator-like angel that stood beside the praying man, collecting balls of fire that came from Jeremiah's mouth, challenging any stupid demon to come close to his territory.

"Nothing is going to stop me. I must have my entrance!" Dagon stubborn claimed.

"Master, we found a breach we could enter by," said the same demon as earlier, trying to get to the good favours of the mighty and high Dagon.

"And?" He was obviously irked.

"Well, the thing is, we found a tiny bit of lust in the man but it looked like a fresh scar that has healed."

"Well, well, well..." An evil smirk curved up his face.  "It's just as I remember. These humans still have their weakness in the lusts of the flesh." He threw back his head and laughed. The demons kept quiet, unsure of whether they should join in his mirth.

"You know what? A little delay won't faze me." His eyes squinted and his vision zoomed in, past the walls, past the people, to his target, his vessel. She wore a blue gown and doctors were performing a surgery on her. He noticed the spiritual atmosphere around her was charged, but the vessel herself was like a shaped swirl of light trying to gain dominance over darkness. He saw the three angels as well and he wasn't happy about their presence.

"The serpent that throws it's head back in retreat, does so not because it is afraid of the imposing target. It is because it is gathering its deadliest sting, its most fatal venom. I'll be back for you, Aquifer. Just you wait for me to reconnect with my allies and restrategize."

"Aquadaglevbehioo," he said and disappeared.

There were many things Deborah could bear, one of which was the sight of blood. It came with her job description. Though not yet certified as a nurse as she was still in the training stage, she had, over time, gotten accustomed to the sight of gruesome accident victims. The drill was to focus on saving them—especially if she wasn't certain they knew Jesus—instead of their present state.

Deborah had been driving to Ella's, humming to Don Moen's God is Good playing in her car. She was shocked to see Ella's house surrounded by a small crowd and the house itself blazing with the fiercest looking fire she had ever seen.
With the vigour of a concerned friend, Deborah sprung out of her car, careful to grab her purse, hoping and praying that Ella was okay.
Unfortunately, the first thing she saw was Ella's limp form on the stretcher. At least, Ella wasn't scorched, housing only minute bruises. Stifling the sob that rose in her chest, Deborah hurried into the ambulance just as they wheeled poor Ella in.
She explained to the Chief of firefighters that she was a close friend of the victim and a nurse. The latter got her a thumbs up and she was allowed in. 

According to the doctor's report, after Ella fell and hit her head, the impact caused three nerves located in her hind brain  to be squished in between the cracked cranium and high-pressured, bloated, whitish-pink mush of brain. Apparently, she needed the immediate attention of neurosurgeons because she absorbed a good dose of electric impulse into her brain that was too much for it to bear. She was wheeled to surgery and Deborah stuck with her.
 
The surgery was successful, thanks to Deborah who was softly praying in tongues (unknown to her, the Spirit was using his words through her mouth and Jeremiah's). The crew of angels made sure that any of Dagon's cohorts who crept in somehow were nicely dealt with.

Deborah stepped out, pulling off the surgery gloves from both hands. She was relieved that her hands could breathe once again and she gladly clenched and unclenched it.

She rubbed her stiff neck, turning it side to side and moaning in relief. She looked up and saw Jeremiah seated in the waiting room. Dismayed, she glanced at the clock. It read 7:16pm. 'Oh my God! It's been almost five hours since I called him. Don't tell me he's been here since then.'

Her heart warmed. She smiled even though she was disturbed that she had held him waiting in suspense for so long. She couldn't stop thanking God for the kind of blessing she had found in a man like Jeremiah, her own Jay.

Moving closer, she discovered that he was asleep. His head was bent giving the impression that he was probably glancing at something on his phone.
The waiting room was almost deserted. Only the nurse on duty was at the stand who she greeted with a smile and a nod.

She sat beside him and used her hands to stroke his head. She couldn't resist the urge to study him. His chiseled jaw heaved up and down as his steady, sleepy breath harmonized. She could feel the softness of his lush hair against her palm.

Just the thought that he had abandoned all because she had called him made her heart leap.
No one, apart from the Lord, had ever shown such concern for her. She had been conditioned to survive by herself. Yes, she was so blessed.

He stirred and soon woke up. He gazed at her.

Feeling guilty, she started to apologize. "Jay, I am so sorry I got you all worked up. I'm sorry you had to wa-"

"Shhhh..." He placed his finger across her lips to keep her from saying anything more. "Don't bother at all, Deb. It was my fault I couldn't get here quickly enough." He smiled to reassure her.

"How long have you been waiting?"

"Well, since you have been in surgery, I guess," he said as he stretched and stifled a yawn. Suddenly remembering something, his face turned serious with concern and he asked carefully, "What happened? You called, sounding so alarmed."

She sighed. "Firstly, I want you to join me to thank God that the surgery was a success."

He waved his hands, mouthing hallelujah.

"It was Ella."

Jeremiah froze upon hearing her name. His expression turned blank. When he spoke, one could sense the amount of constraint it took him not to lash out in fury. "Ella? You mean all of this was because of Ella?" That stray cat? he wanted to say.

"Jay, I understand your reservations, but she had another accident. Her house caught on fire!"

He was shocked but refused to show it. "Fire? How come?" He tried to keep his voice steady. He slowly brought down his hands.

"I don't know. All I know for now is that I wanted to see her again after my class so we could discuss more. When I got there, I noticed the house was surrounded and there was a smoke. At first I was terrified, thinking she was dead, but she wasn't. Later as we were coming in the ambulance, the Chief told me that something strange happened which was why she wasn't really burnt."

Jeremiah narrowed his eyes. He could feel this coming.

"They claimed that by the time they arrived upon the call of a passerby, the entire house was already engulfed in the fire. They weren't even sure if they should go in as they were not sure if anyone was trapped inside. The Chief said he had this strong urging to go on in and check."

"When they got in, at first they saw no one and they quickly noted that the fire was from an electric source. He was about turning back when he heard a sound in the kitchen. Compelled, he went there even though he was aware that was the center point of the fire. He scanned the area and saw Ella lying unconscious in the farther part of the kitchen."

"What was most surprising to him was that it seemed as though there was a boundary round about Ella. No fire burned past that boundary. Not wasting any more time, he and his team took her frail body up and heaved her out. Every bruise or burn she sustained was in an attempt to carry her out."

Jeremiah didn't realize his mouth hung slightly open until Deborah looked at him and gave a soft giggle.
His little anger was long dissipated.

He told Deborah his own side of the story. How he had felt uneasy when he came into the hospital. And how he prayed.

"I have a feeling this girl is very much wanted in the kingdom of darkness. We need to intensify our prayers and be more spiritually alert. We should even involve Pastor Mike," he said.

"Uhmm. He already knows. He was aware of the first incident. I told him."

"Wise decision. Also, we must be more careful. Obviously, she is valuable, yet vulnerable. Has she accepted Jesus?"

"Jay, the truth is, I can't say for sure. She claims to have seen the Redeemer. But I think fear is holding her back. She is afraid of something."

"This is more serious than I thought..." Jeremiah muttered.

"I have to let her stay over at my place."

Jeremiah scowled. He was evidently opposed to this idea. "Deb, I don't think that's such a good idea. Do you know any of her family members?"

"I barely know her. Still I know what God told me. I am responsible for her, Jay. I can't just turn the other way and abandon her. She needs to know Christ's love and accept him truly."

Jeremiah sighed. There was nothing he could do. "Okay then."

Deborah looked at him with her big, brown eyes. "I understand why you're not happy with this decision, but I trust God to take control. Just pray along with me. There's a lot ahead."

"I know..."

Jeremiah had the gift of discernment. Deborah had come to trust his judgement. But here was a time when she'd rather pass through the valley of the shadow of death just in order to please her Master.

She rested her head against Jeremiah's broad shoulders and relaxed. She was tired from all the terseness and standing as an assistant nurse in the surgery. A few minutes of silence passed and she was already asleep, snoring slightly. She wasn't awake to hear Jeremiah say slowly, "I just hope we don't get hurt."

**********
Author's note: Hey guys, thanks for popping in to read and support this book. 💖💖💖

Gosh, a lot has been happening (particularly about school and I tell you it's not looking good at all) and that's why I couldn't update last week as I should have.🥺
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, my exams have rather abruptly been placed on hold😩, meaning I have more time to read and write stories.

Don't mind me that it took so long to deliver this piece. I slaved over it, writing, deleting and rewriting. But glory to God, it came out finally.🌟🌟🌟
Thanks for your prayers, patience and understanding. I love you all so much. 💖💖💖

God speed fellas! 👋