IKNEW I WAS in trouble when I saw the menacing shadow lurking in a corner of my dark bedroom. An invisible fist twisted my heart until it felt like it would explode. Unseen hands gripped my mind, paralyzing me with fear.
The shadow emerged, and I saw a grotesque face with hollowed-out eyes and skeletal features framed by a black cloak. I sensed a fire of hate in its crimson eyes as they flashed at me. I knew it intended to kill me. But I couldn’t move. I was pinned to my bed.
Its rage enveloped me as it choked me with its bony fingers. My head swam as I gasped for oxygen. Was this the end?
My eyes rolled back in my head. As I attempted to draw one final breath, I saw a flash of light. I was sure my spirit had departed from my body.
But as I gave in to inevitable death, the brilliant light lingered. When I focused on it, I recognized him. The one who was sent to fight for me. The one who had promised to battle beside me.
That’s when I realized that I was not in this alone. And that the struggle was far from over.
This is not a love story. No. This is war.