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Part 72: Where All Journeys Grow

Chapter 11: Attack

V2.0 – 10/04/2025

We sped along the interstate heading quickly toward the east coast of the United States of America. As we traveled, I conversed with Kris and Maranna as best I could in broken English. They shared their snacks with me, which I gratefully enjoyed.

They told me how God had provided a vacation for them to come to America and drive across the country. They were so excited to be able to bring their children to another country and show them the National State Park system that we had here. Kris, being a Botanist back in Norway, was thrilled to be able to explore the vast natural landscape of the United States of which he had studied so much over the course of his life.

They explained to me that they had both had a dream of finding a man in a restaurant, along an interstate, who needed to get to the Port of Virginia. They had discussed their separate dreams and gathered what details they could to help them make their way to the truck stop restaurant where they had found me. In their dreams they had seen me clearly. They saw me wearing the clothing I wore now. From what they both saw in their dreams of the port and then after looking it up online found the Port of Virginia.

I showed them the piece of paper that Herald and Mildred had given me with the name of their friend and ‘Port of Virginia’ written on it. They were as amazed as I was at all that was happening along my journey. We celebrated God’s provision together. It seemed as though I would finally reach the port and be on to the next leg of this journey.

After a long silence, Kris had asked me, “Who are you?”

“No one really.” I had replied with a smile.

He nodded his head and then said, “You do something important for God. I know this.”

The sun had set an hour ago plunging the highway into darkness. All I could see now was the row of red lights ahead of us winding forward and out of sight. We were driving in the mountains now. The interstate rose and fell, winding this way and that. Kris was carefully driving the speed limit. I was grateful for that.

Maranna and the kids had fallen asleep in the backseat a while ago. Kris was quietly focused on the road lost in thought. I glanced at his phone hanging on the dashboard. The maps app that was open there told me that the Port of Virginia was still 12 hours away. I wondered if Kris would try to drive through the night or if we would stop somewhere along the way.

I thought back to all that had happened so far. I wasn’t quite sure how to process the events of the past few days or even if I should try. Too much was happening, and it was all happening too fast for me to properly understand it all. I felt like I was being carried along in a raging river of events far out of my control.

I turned my attention to the spiritual world around me. I glanced out the window and saw one of my guardian angels gliding easily along next to the car. His sword was drawn. He looked ready for a fight. Out the other window I sense another of them on guard. I sensed the same ahead of us and behind us. I sense other angels there as well, whom I assumed were the guardian angels of Kris’ family. I felt God’s presence heavy in the vehicle.

I closed my eyes and listened.

“Why are you here?” I heard the Dark One whisper. Startled, I looked out of my window and saw him gliding along just out of reach of my guardian angel. He smiled sickly at me and sang, “I promised… oh… I promised you that if you continued on… I’d kill you…” As his words reached me he vanished from sight.

“Prepare yourself.” The Holy Spirit whispered to my spirit.

“For what?” I asked Him startled.

In the next instant I saw out my window a streak of darkness slam my guardian angel into the car on that side. The car in the physical world rocked away from the impact swerving wildly out of our lane. Kris let out a cry of dismay and gripped the steering wheel tightly pulling the car back into our lane.

Maranna woke with a start and asked, “What happened?”

“Something hit us.” Kris replied.

After a moment he had regained control of the car.

We continued on.

I watched out my window as the Dark One’s minion and my guardian angel battled as they flew along with the car. Their swords met as they swooped through the air and let out angry cries at one another.

“We’re under attack.” I told Kris and Maranna.

“Under attack?” Maranna echoed me in bewilderment.

I continued to watch the spiritual battle unfolding outside my window.

The children woke and huddled closer to their mother in the backseat. I heard Maranna start to pray quietly. Kris began to pray as well.

“Hold tight.” I heard the Holy Spirit whisper again. I turned my attention to the other side of the car.

I started to pray but before I could say a word I saw another flash of darkness streak toward the driver’s side. Another of the Dark One’s minions slammed the guardian angel on that side into the car. The car lurched to the right sharply. It wobbled wildly from the impact. Kris drove it back into the lane again.

The children were crying and begging their mother something in their language I couldn’t understand. Fear is universal.

“We need to get off the highway.” I told him.

I looked around and saw that the traffic behind us had slowed down a bit to give us room. They must have seen Kris swerving. I turn back to face forward and checked my seat belt. It was fastened tight around my waist and across my shoulder. I glanced to see if Kris was buckled in and saw that he was.

Time slowed down.

I sat suspended in between the physical world and the spiritual world. My perception of both was overlaid.

I heard God’s voice calling, “Kris, my son, Maranna, my daughter, Johann and Gretda, my children, it’s time.”

My brain fought to register what I was hearing. Was God calling them home?

Kris looked at me for a moment. There was a streak of darkness that slammed into the hood of the car. I saw one of the Dark One’s minions crouching on the hood with his hand outstretched toward Kris. It only took a second for me to see the dark sword that now sank deep into Kris’ chest. His body went slack. His hands fell from the steering wheel. The car swerved violently back and forth.

Maranna and the children screamed wildly from the back seat.

I tried to grab the wheel and regain control of the car, but it was too late.

The car swerved off the interstate and the driver’s side wheels caught the ground at an angle throwing the car into the air. I perceived all this with both my physical and my spiritual senses. I saw a bubble of white light envelop the car as it rolled down the embankment. It slammed into the ground each time it rolled then flew into the air again. I was tossed this way and that. My seatbelt held me firmly to my seat. I shielded my head with my arms as best I could.

Then there was only darkness and quiet.

After a time I felt my senses returning a bit.

I hung upside down, suspended by my seat belt, in the flipped car. I sensed the spiritual battle raging all around me. I felt tired. I felt weary.

I glanced to my left to see Kris’ body hanging next to me. I knew and sensed he was dead. I tried to move my body. My legs were pinned under the crushed dashboard.

“God, help us.” I whispered into the stillness of the night.

I heard the distant shouts of people coming closer and saw the beams of flashlights illuminating the mangled interior of the car. I felt liquid running down my face and closed my eyes.

Everything went black.

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