Touched by an Angel

This story is dedicated to Jay Dmer!! Thank you so much for giving me the incredible idea of the character Judas Lee Camaleo!!! Link to her page: 

https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/author/jay-dmer/

***

Ding.

A notification popped on my phone from a social media app. Oh, jeez. Not another hater.

I read the comment. 

“Why do you even believe in God?” The comment read. “He’s never given you proof that he exists. Or that Jesus exists. You’re just reading a thick book with useless information, and you call that a religion.”

I shook my head. I should ignore this, but it was  something I needed to address. 

“God has given us plenty of proof that He and Jesus exist. The Bible is filled with them. Believe in Him, and you can have eternal life.”

Ding. 

Another hate comment. 

Ding. 

And another one. 

I groaned, turning off my phone. I took off my black glasses and wiped off the dust, imagining I was wiping off all of my online problems with it. If only it was that simple to erase the hate. 

I had always received hate for my beliefs. But lately, they’re getting worse. People are attacking me just for spreading the Gospel on social media. I didn’t like that. 

If you don’t like what I post, it was just as simple as blocking me or just ignoring the post! Why was hate so necessary? I felt like I was all alone in a society of hate. 

I needed something to distract myself. I put my glasses back on and scrolled through the apps on my phone. 

“Corona Dating”.

Sure. why not? Go on a social media app, one designed for romance, no less, even after you were annoyed with people on social media. Sounds just about right.

Even though I had my doubts, I clicked on it anyway. I laughed as I scrolled through my profile. I have had this app ever since I was sixteen. There was some strange content I posted. Was that only three years ago?

I spent the next hour updating my profile. It felt good to do something on social media that didn’t involve me getting attacked for my opinions. 

***

Before I knew it, I was clicking the “Done” button to the quiz on this cursed app that supposedly tells me who my soulmate is. It was way too easy to get addicted to this.

“Your one true pairing is. . .” I muted the volume on my phone as the app played a long and very unnecessary drumroll. “David Cambron!!!”

Time to give this David Cambron a shot. My finger hovered over my phone. 

Was it even worth it?

For years now, I’ve been searching for the one. All I wanted was one perfect guy that I could fall in love with. One perfect guy I could have a life with.

Even if life these days was normal, that would be impossible to find. 

But of course, COVID-19 had to slap itself into our lives and force everything to be online. I couldn’t even go outside without wearing a face covering. How was I supposed to find the perfect guy if I couldn’t even see them in real life?

Perhaps I was being too much of a pessimist. It was just one date with one guy. And it wasn’t like if I looked at his profile, I would go to hell or get attacked by butterflies or anything else scary. You never know what might happen. You never know what good things can happen if you don’t try.

“You never know.” I repeated. “This might be good for me for reasons I don’t know yet. Let’s give this a shot.”

I clicked on David’s profile. 

My eyes first wandered over to his profile picture. It wasn’t anything special. Just a picture in red lighting of a clean-shaven guy, maybe twenty, with spiky brown hair that seemed to be that way without any gel. His eyes were so dark they could’ve been black. They looked creepy and unnerving, like your typical traumatized horror character. 

I stared at the picture for a while. Not doing anything else. Just looking at his face. I felt drawn to him. This guy. David Cambron. The name repeated itself in my head like a chant. I liked the name. He was named after the second king of the Jews. 

I shook my head, dazed, and forced my eyes off of my phone. I was being ridiculous. How could I feel drawn to a guy that I knew about only a few minutes ago? Who I didn’t even talk to? Who I knew nothing about? Not to mention that this person was a random guy I found online! He could be a scammer or a murderer for all I knew!

Despite all of my thoughts, my body betrayed me.

I clicked the button.

“Request for a date online”.

I searched the screen for a “cancel” button. Nothing. I groaned, burying my hands in my face.

Great. Just great. 

***

   A few minutes later, a notification from the app “Corona Dating” popped up on my screen.

“Congratulations!” It read. “David Cambron has accepted your invitation to an online date! He suggests Thursday, eight p.m. what is your response?” 

I read over the options.

“Okay! Let’s do it!”

No.

“That time doesn’t work for me.”

Also no.

“Sorry! Sending you that request was a mistake.”

Surprisingly, that wasn’t it either.

I searched the screen, but I found no, “I think you’re kind of hot but I’m getting bad vibes from you so I don’t know” button. How inconsiderate of the app.

I sighed and clicked the “Okay! Let’s do it!” button. Might as well try, right?

I felt a voice in my head pestering me.

“That was a terrible mistake,” the voice murmured. “He will discover who you are. His master doesn’t like your kind. So he will destroy you.”

I had no idea what to think about that. It sounded awfully like I was hallucinating. After all, I hadn’t slept for two days. 

I decided to ignore the voice. Besides, it was just one date. It was hard to imagine that much would happen.

***

Three days later

I clicked on the link and went into the online meeting. David was already there. 

He didn’t say anything. I didn’t say anything. We sat in uncomfortable silence, staring at the wall, outside the window, at each other. 

After a while, David cleared his throat. 

“Hi. I’m David Cambron. Nice to meet you.”

I nodded slightly.

“I’m--"

I stopped myself. I got the feeling that saying my name wouldn't be wise. That seemed ridiculous, especially because this guy already knew my name from my profile.

"Likewise.” 

David nodded, looking distracted.

I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. This was already the most boring and awkward date I've ever been on.

"Do you have any idea what to do on these 'online dates'?" David asked, putting the last two words in air quotes. "It's not like you can eat dinner together or hold hands or anything."

I giggled, sounding like a little girl all over again.

"I honestly have no idea what I'm doing, either."

David laughed. I liked his laugh, just like how I liked his smile, his hair, the way his eyes shined, the--

Jeez. I was obsessed with this boy!

I didn't know what to think of that. He seemed like an okay dude, but something about him threw me off. Like he was dangerous, or even my enemy.

I played with my long black hair, curling it around my fingers. As if it needed more curling. My hair was curlier than Festoni pasta.

David seemed to notice me playing with my hair.

"You have beautiful hair," he commented.

I nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you."

More silence. The awkwardness was so thick that you couldn't even use the sword of the Spirit to cut through it.

I noticed the book on his desk, and I smiled. Finally, there was something to talk about.

"You read 'Gone with the Wind'?"

David's dark eyes brightened. I liked his eyes even better when they brightened.

"Of course I did! It's one of my favorite books. Do you like it, too?"

I grinned, sure that my eyes were brightening just like his.

"Like it? I love it! The--"

David was staring at me in shock, like I had told him that I had seen heaven before. I didn't think it was that shocking that I liked 'Gone with the Wind‘. Wasn't it a popular book?

But that wasn't what had seemed to surprise David.

“Your eyes shined gold. A per quod angelus tetigit. . . Right in front of me. I can’t believe it.”

He stood suddenly, and started pacing back and forth.

I frowned,

“What—“

“My search could end today,” David continued, ignoring me. “I can fulfill my destiny.”

I slammed my hands on the table.

“Can you stop talking vaguely for a minute and tell me what you’re talking about? What did you call me? What is your search? How will your destiny be fulfilled just because I told you I liked 'Gone with the Wind‘?”

David looked at me, mid-pace, looking surprised. 

“You don’t know? How could you not?”

I sighed.

“Because--”

David held up his hand.

“Never mind. It’s not important. I have to find you. Can you tell me your location?”

I rolled my eyes in disgust.

“Do you think I’ll seriously just tell a hot stranger my location after a few minutes of talking to him?”

David smiled at me. His gaze was hypnotizing. Something I couldn’t put my finger on.

“That’s exactly what I think.”

His words washed over me, more powerful than a tidal wave. I wanted to give him my location. It seemed reasonable. What could go wrong?

The same voice from a few days ago whispered,

“Much could go wrong. It is unwise to give your location to anyone online, especially people like him.”

That voice was enough to jolt me back to reality.

“No.” I managed. “I’m not giving you my location.”

David raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not every day I get refused. You must be very powerful. That makes it even better, Judas. My master would be pleased with you.”

I felt like banging my head on the table. 

“Can you tell me what you’re talking about?”

David smiled again. He had a nice smile.

“Close your eyes.”

The voice in my head tried to fight back against his words. But it was too late. David’s words spread through my body like an infection and closed my eyes shut.

***

My vision was on a yard of grass behind a church, with a garden to my left. I heard the wind and birds whistling in the trees in harmony. Sitting a few feet away from me was a young boy, maybe twelve, with spiky brown hair. He seemed to be crying, and his sobs carried away in the wind.

My vision zoomed to the right, and I got a look of the boy’s face. I sucked in a breath.

This boy looked exactly like a younger version of David, just without the almost black eyes and brood expression.  

A man with pure black skin materialized in front of what I assumed was young David. How did that man do that? He placed a hand on David’s shoulder.

”David,” he said soothingly. “Look at me.”

David looked at the man through his tears.

“I know what you feel,” The man’s face was a mask of sympathy. “Believe me, I do. You believe that God isn’t righteous and merciful. That He isn’t the all-mighty Father that people think he is.”

David nodded. 

The man smiled.

“Do you know of the humans that are touched by an angel?”

David shook his head.

“No. What are they?”

The man laughed. I didn’t like how his laugh sounded. It sounded harsh and cold, like that laugh could still be uttered while millions of innocent people died in front of him. 

“Oh, you’re about to be acquainted with them soon. They’re exactly what they sound like. They’re human, just like you. But they’ve been touched by an angel at birth, which does not make them sinless, but it makes them eternally bound to Christ. Their faith is unbreakable. Even stronger than the most resilient of normal humans. If they were touched by the archangel Michael, the angels will give them their wisdom in their head from time to time. They spread the Gospel whenever they can. They have good hearts, and they are hard for my master to manipulate. They don’t seem that different from normal humans, but they’re incredibly dangerous.  

“When you pledge your loyalty, you will see if a person was touched by an angel if their eyes shine gold when they are extremely happy. Always watch out for that.”

David frowned slightly.

“And you’re telling me this because. . .”

“You’re a smart one. You can figure this out.” The man assured David.

David’s frown deepened, and he seemed to be in deep thought. 

“I’m supposed to hunt them.”

I had no idea how he’d figured that out, but the man smiled again.

“That’s right. Swear your loyalty to me and Lucifer.”

Lucifer. The name sent shivers down my back. The name of Satan. The devil that plagues the minds of every human, convincing them to sin on the daily. Surely the man didn’t mean that Lucifer.

David knelt.

“I pledge my loyalty to the works of Satan. I vow that I will spend the rest of my life hunting those who have been touched by angels. I serve you.”

Those words sent a chill through the air, lowering the temperature by about ten degrees. The birds stopped chirping, and the wind stopped howling. Everything was completely eerie. Silent. 

“Rise,” the man commanded.

David stood. He no longer looked like the twelve year old boy who had been crying only moments ago. He looked stronger and more powerful. A loyal but distant hunter who will do anything to succeed.

The man reached out his left hand and squeezed the skin on David’s forehead. After a moment, the man released David from his touch, and as he did, a white liquid followed the man’s hand.

“You have been touched by an angel,” the man said disapprovingly. “I will cleanse you of your impurity.”

The white liquid turned black and floated back into David’s forehead.

David’s eyes turned black, and so did my vision.

***

I blinked, and I was back in my room, having an online date with a guy who served the devil.

I was frozen in shock. I had been touched by an angel. David hunted for people like me and served Satan. It was too much to take in all at once. I had too many questions and too little answers. 

“You serve Satan?” I couldn’t help it. My words just burst out. “Why would you serve him just because you don’t like God? Why--”

I then realized I was talking to no one. David was gone from the screen.  

“David?”  

Knives embedded my shirt into the wall, keeping me from moving.

“You make it too easy,” A guy stood at my door. It was hard to tell who he was because of the mask, but that voice was definitely David’s. I gasped. How did David find me? I never gave him my location. “Despite your surprising power, you’re helpless.” David smirked. “You can’t fight back. You’re coming with me to hell.”