The door burst open and slammed against the wall as Richard Davenport’s family sat around the table enjoying their Sunday lunch.
Grandpa John stormed into the house. “Escape now! You don’t have time to waste! A red monster that looks like a giant red lizard has come to Stonewall.” His voice cracked, strained with panic. Run!
Grandpa realized he’d missed the rapture, or whatever was supposed to happen. He had followed Christian traditions his whole life, and they had helped him grow. But now he understood that practicing religion alone wasn’t enough to follow Jesus as Savior truly. Because he lacked faith, he believed God had condemned him to eternal damnation. Missing this, he felt the antichrist had already come.
Unfortunately, he had taught his family to follow rituals and the law rather than to accept grace through faith. Bobby pressed his palms together, his voice barely a whisper. Now they believed they had missed the rapture and the chance for eternal life. Still, Grandpa couldn’t accept that his family would end up in hell.
He would willingly sacrifice his life if Jesus were merciful to his family. However, first, he needed to convince his family, especially his grandchildren, to leave so they could come to know Jesus.
Richard jerked back from the dinner table. “What in tarnation did you say, Dad?” Who’s here? Escape, run from what?
Richard’s eyes darted between his father and the window, and a knot formed in his stomach. Fearing his dad would have a heart attack, Richard grabbed a chair for him. He placed a hand on his father’s shoulder, had him sit down, and stood beside him.
“Did you say a giant red lizard came to Stonewall, North Carolina?” Richard’s hand on his father’s shoulder clenched slightly, fingers digging in.
“Yes, I did say that.” He wiped a sleeve across his sweaty brow.
Grandpa John, out of breath and red-faced, suspiciously glanced at the windows and door, frequently turning his head as he looked for something.
Richard was worried that his father was developing dementia. He ran his hand through his hair, furrowing his brow with concern. Since losing his wife of fifty years, his father had sometimes shown minor signs of forgetfulness and confusion. But everything changed after that day, when so many people vanished.
Grandpa John continued, “Yes, he appeared out of nowhere. Like, poof! There he stood behind me in the church while I was preaching. A giant lizard with scaly skin and a long red tail was standing on its hind legs inside the sanctuary. A row of sharp spikes ran down its backbone all the way to the front door. He paused, taking another deep, shaky breath, eyes wide.”
Its feet had toe claws. The lizard’s spiky, snake-like head almost touched the church ceiling. Its short, scaly arms had human hands with sharp fingernails as long as rulers.” He paused, taking another deep, shaky breath, eyes wide.
“Children, I tell you, he was a devilish red dragon walking on his hind legs and dragging his tail. He was an awful sight.” The rest of the family exchanged glances. Richard gently squeezed his wife’s hand beneath the table.
Grandpa pressed on. “The churchwomen screamed. A few men fled, abandoning their families and rushing out the church door. Other people fainted and cried. Families huddled together, holding each other. It was chaos and fear.” A distant siren wailed outside, a familiar sound now, causing everyone to jump.
Weeks earlier, the pastor had vanished during what was supposed to be the rapture, an event none of them had taken seriously. If it happened at all, this rapture was so quick that no one saw a thing. Since then, Grandpa John, a lay preacher, has preached every Sunday to the people who remained behind.
He and the church members realized they had missed this event, which they had always dismissed as fantasy. Fear overtook them at the thought of missing it because they doubted and lacked faith in Jesus Christ.
They grew desperate for salvation but believed they could never reach it and thought they had lost all hope. Now, they realized that Satan must have sent an antichrist to them.
Grandpa John continued, “The monster moved like a dragon, and its front claws clicked on the wooden floor. Its sharp, red-spiked tail scraped the ends of the wooden pews and rattled as it walked. I tried to move, to run, but something glued my feet to the floor.”
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A cold shiver ran down my spine, and I couldn’t speak or move. The monster shoved me away from the pulpit and said, “Satan sent me to guide the people of Stonewall through the catastrophic fall of world governments. He calls me Assistant and has named me Red Devil.”
Scared and flustered, Alice, Richard’s wife, placed her napkin on the table, silently prayed, then whispered barely audibly, “Am I lost? And my family? Jesus, please forgive me.”
Ten-year-old Bobby noticed his mother’s worried face—her bowed head, watering eyes, and trembling hands. He moved to the chair beside her, took her hands, and with his big blue eyes and gentle voice asked, “What happened, Mother?” He softly squeezed her fingers.
She pulled him onto her lap and hugged him as he began to whimper. Tears rolled down her face, blurring the outline of the boy’s hair. She didn’t know how to answer his question: “I need to ask more questions to understand all that’s happened.” She gently rocked him, a silent promise conveyed in her motion.
Richard encouraged Alice to speak. With Bobby’s adorable baby face staring at her, Alice tugged at the hem of her shirt. “When does our government collapse, and what should we do?”
Grandpa pressed his hand to his forehead, his face strained with worry. “I have no idea. And I suspect similar situations are happening all over the world.” But what I know for sure is that when I left the church, the Red Devil tore it apart. I saw him go from house to house, announcing that he controlled everything and that the Christian era was over. He is on his way here.” He pointed a trembling finger toward the door. “You must run.”
Grandpa John knew he had to sacrifice his life to save his family. He straightened up, facing forward squarely. “I’ll run interference to give you all the time to escape. The Red Devil will be distracted by my tall tales.”
The family laughed, knowing he could tell them.
“But run where, Dad?” Richard’s eyes darted around the room as if looking for an immediate answer.
Grandpa stood and placed his hand on Richard’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Go to my cabin on Sanctuary Mountain. I’ve equipped the cabin with everything you need. Your grandmother and I lived there for half our lives, and we kept it in good condition. It still has all the modern conveniences. You’ll live 2,300 feet up the side of the mountain. Red Devil will not be able to see you, but you will be able to see him.”
Grandpa assured his family that each night he would stay in touch by signaling Morse code with his spotlight through the skylight in their Stonewall home. If the signal failed, he would hide a message in the old oak tree at the base of the mountain, where the trail to the hidden cabin begins.
You’ll need to walk to the cabin. Red Devil might see the car and destroy it as you leave. A three- or four-hour walk isn’t bad. He tugged at his bottom lip, weighing the plan. “If you leave at sundown, you can arrive by midnight with some extra time.”
Alice paced around the small room, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. “I don’t like this idea.” Richard slumped into a worn armchair, running a hand through his already rumpled hair.
“Why not?”
It’s too dangerous.
“What will we eat? What will happen to our pharmacy?” Alice asked, while stroking Bobby’s hair with one hand and biting her fingernails with the other.
God has already provided for you. He gave you a freezer full of food, my old rifle, and the wilderness that has always had plenty of game. It’s a perfect place for young men to explore and discover biology, geography, and the natural habitats. It’s a young man’s paradise.
Everyone sat in silence, overwhelmed.
When you arrive, take off your shoes and wade into the cool water of the mountain spring. Use my old Bible for comfort and read it. We should have been reading it all along. You can also bring your computers, as God has provided a generator for electricity and lights.
Alice was the most upset. Grandpa tried to comfort her and give her hope, even as he secretly mourned his wife. She had been a genuine Christian and had died several years earlier. Why hadn’t he listened to her?
If I’m still here, I’ll let you know when it’s safe for you to return.
***After three hours of travel, five rest and bathroom breaks, and battling mosquitoes on a hot summer night, the tired travelers stopped at the base of a mountain. Richard considered the health of the refugees traveling with him.
Luke, Richard’s oldest son, shucked off his suitcases like a pack mule and slumped to the ground. “Opening day of college football season didn’t hurt this bad,” he groaned. The rest of the family followed his lead.
“Okay, troops,” Richard said. “Fifteen minutes to rest and refresh, then we climb.”
“Let’s just sleep here tonight,” Luke begged. “I’m beat.”
We can’t, son. The Red Devil can see and smell us, and he’s supposed to be able to fly. He’s going to be looking for us. Let’s go.
Richard believed the Red Devil was clever. The Red Devil would see the group as easy prey if they were out in the open. Once on the mountain trail at night, they would move more slowly but could use the forest for cover.
Richard’s mind drifted back to Grandpa John, who had sacrificed himself for his family. Richard prayed, “Lord, be merciful to Dad.”
He knew the mountain trail would be slow and tough for Bobby, but Bobby would enjoy the hooting of night owls and the movement of nocturnal animals.
***
When they arrived at the cabin, Bobby prayed and thanked God. His prayer deeply touched his family. That night, peace returned to them.
In the morning, the sun sparkled on tall pines screening blooming honeysuckle vines. The cabin felt like the perfect hideout, safely out of the Red Devil’s view.
On a clear day, people on the mountain could see the ocean on one side. On the other side, the jagged rock face of the neighboring mountain came into view. From the cabin, they could easily overlook the town of Stonewall below. From that height, Stonewall’s buildings appeared as specks.
White fog drifted over the city as a fluffy, low-hanging cloud slid between the mountains, almost as if it were putting on a show for them. Richard’s eyes sparkled at the scene. He leaned forward on the porch railing of the cabin.
Luke found his old telescope, the one he had used for stargazing as a child. He wiped a layer of dust off the lens with his sleeve. He used the telescope to observe Stonewall and his former home.
The family chose Luke as their spy, mainly to keep an eye on the Red Devil. Luke also took plenty of pictures of the night sky for his college astronomy class.
On the second day of their retreat, Luke mentioned that the summer preschool classes had ended—he pointed to the empty schoolhouse visible through the lens—and that only delivery trucks and ambulances were still running in Stonewall.
The Red Devil destroyed the churches and shut down the government buildings in Stonewall. He also tore apart people’s homes and looted everything he could find in the rubble. No police remained to patrol Stonewall anymore. Instead, the Red Devil wandered the deserted streets of the town.
At dusk each evening, Grandpa flashed “SOS” with a spotlight in Morse code to warn them it was unsafe to return. His jaw tightened with each precise flash. Luke read the code perfectly.
Who would have guessed that learning Morse code for his Scout communication badge would prove to be so valuable?
***
The family spent years, then months, then weeks in exile, but they gradually adapted to life in the mountains. After he accepted Jesus as his Savior, thirteen-year-old Bobby read the Bible every day. He also kept questioning and searching for his purpose.
Bobby pressed his palms together, his voice barely a whisper, “I pray we can see Grandpa soon. I miss him.”
For three years, the family oversaw Bobby’s education. He also helped his mother with household chores and chopped firewood for the fireplace.
Bobby asked his father, “Why do I have to wash dishes and make beds?” Bobby scuffed his bare foot on the wooden floor.
We want you to learn how to become an adult and support your own family someday, if that day ever comes.
Bobby nodded, picking at a splinter on the edge of the table. He paused, then asked, “Father, Jesus told me to ask you: would you like to be saved?”
Richard ran his fingers through his hair, his face turning ghostly pale. “Yes, I guess so.”
Richard called Alice and Luke into the living room. When they arrived, he explained that God had told Bobby to ask if he wanted to be saved. “Does the rest of the family want to be saved?”
Alice said, “We missed our chance, but I pray each night that Bobby will be saved. He never had that opportunity because we never told him about Jesus.” She cried. “Maybe there’s hope for him.”
Luke agreed with his mother, and Richard bowed his head in shame.
Bobby said, “I pray there is hope for us all.” The others looked at him quietly. “In the book of Revelation, people in white robes under the altar wait for others who will die in the service of the Lord and then receive their robes. I believe that, and God has called me to his service.”
“What can you do for Jesus, Bobby?” Alice asked again.
“Luke, tell everyone what you told me today,” Bobby demanded. “He needs to tell you, regardless of his fear.”
Grandpa hasn’t signaled us in three days, so I checked the old oak tree in secret but found nothing. I was afraid to tell you.
Everyone was crying.
Bobby declared, “I will end this mess with the Red Devil. The Bible says Christ strengthens me to do all things.” He slammed his fist on the table.
His father asked, “You’re only thirteen, Bobby. What are you going to do?”
I’ll show you, Father. He straightened his shoulders and looked his father in the eyes.
Bobby slipped into his bedroom. His family heard him searching, and he found the slingshot his father had given him for Christmas.
As Bobby walked through the living room, his father asked, “Bobby, where are you headed with that slingshot?”
Come on, join me, he gestured toward the front door.
Richard grabbed Grandpa’s old rifle. Luke picked up an axe. Alice took her garden hoe. Together, they headed to Stonewall with Bobby.
After a long walk, they reached the end of Main Street in Stonewall and headed toward where the Red Devil guarded the front entrance.
As they walked down the street, others—who had long survived like animals among the ruins of their homes—armed themselves with whatever they could find and began to follow the convoy.
The Red Devil lay beneath an old oak tree. When Bobby and the town’s convoy approached, the Red Devil lifted his head and looked at them.
What do you want, punk?
“I want Jesus Christ to save you with his grace.” Bobby raised the slingshot, his hands steady.
The Red Devil chuckled so loudly that the ground shook beneath his feet. “If you and your gang don’t leave, I will crush all of you with my feet.” The devil began to stand.
Bobby searched under the oak tree for an acorn, picked a big, shiny one, and loaded it into his slingshot. His eyes stayed on the massive Devil.
The Red Devil burst into laughter. “So you think you’re a Goliath slayer?” The Red Devil grinned, his teeth like shattered bones. Well now… Let me give you a good target.” The Red Devil took a long, deep breath, inhaling sharply, and the rush of air whooshed past.
He puffed out his massive chest. “I’ll give you the first shot,” he bellowed. He pounded his massive chest with a spiked fist. “Give me the best you’ve got!”
With trembling arms, Bobby pulled back the slingshot—now loaded with an acorn—as far as he could. Sweat dripped from his chin. He took careful aim and fired, but the acorn didn’t move.
Instead, thunder roared, and a lightning bolt shot out from the slingshot. The bolt slammed into the Red Devil’s chest like a guided missile.
The Red Devil screamed in horror. He clawed at the glowing bolt. He tried to pull the bolt out with his hands, but it sank even deeper into his chest.
He staggered to one side. His eyes widened in disbelief. “What have you done?” he screamed. He started to fall like a giant tree toward the people standing in the street.
The crowd panicked and scattered to escape the falling Red Devil, but Bobby held his ground.
As he fell to his death, the Red Devil made a final move. He swung his spiked tail at Bobby and tore him apart.
That day, Jesus dressed Bobby in a brand-new white robe.
And what about the people who stayed behind? That day, a small spark of hope returned to Stonewall.
By: Grady Simpson
For Christian Entertainment and Thought
