I never thought my life could end up like this. Not in a million years did I imagine myself in a life-or-death situation… well, close to death.
There I was, upside down inside an Uber. The driver was slumped forward, injured. I stretched my arm toward him and felt his wrist.
A pulse.
He was alive. Thank God.
I had to get out — fast.
In the middle of nowhere, cold air filling my lungs, fear trying to climb into my chest. But I refused to let it.
"I have Jesus," I whispered. "He never lets me down… right?"
The window was already cracked, so it didn't take much to break it. I crawled out slowly, unbuckling the seat belt that was pressing against my waist.
My skin scraped against pieces of broken glass at the window's edge, but I forced myself to stay calm.
When I finally stood outside, I froze.
My ivory gown… ruined. Stained with blood from cuts I didn't even remember getting. My hair felt tangled and wild. I didn't need a mirror to know I looked like a disaster.
I went back to the driver's side, grabbed him under the arms, and pulled with everything I had. He was heavier than he looked, but somehow — by God's mercy — I dragged him out.
He was breathing, but his face was cut and bruised. Worse than mine.
But still alive.
I looked around. The place was dark, only streetlights glowing weakly in the distance. A road… so at least I wasn't stranded in the wilderness.
I reached into the car for my bag and winced as the edge scratched my arm. I grabbed my phone.
NO SIGNAL.
Bold. Mocking me.
"Kill me now," I groaned. "Seriously?"
I took a deep breath.
"Alright, Selah. This is no time to cry. Jesus is still with you. You're brave. You're a strong daughter of the Most High." I gave myself a pep talk before I completely broke down.
I turned to the driver.
"Stay here, okay? I'll be back with help."
He didn't answer — obviously. He was unconscious.
I tore a strip from the lower part of my gown to cover him for warmth, then grabbed my pocketknife from my bag. Crossed my bag on my body.
Ready… but terrified.
I walked down the road, letting the knife lead the way even though my hand was shaking. I didn't know where I was going, but I felt the Holy Spirit tugging me forward.
Eventually, the road ended.
A KEEP OUT tape stretched between two huge trees.
A sign beside it said, TURN BACK.
"So many warnings," I muttered. "Clearly meant for me. I should stay back."
Then a voice whispered, Walk in.
My heart dropped.
"I KNOW that voice," I said, looking up at the sky with wide eyes.
"Are You trying to kill me, God?!"
Silence.
I stared at the dark forest.
"Nope. Not doing that. Big trees. Big darkness. You know I hate the dark!"
Anyone watching me would've thought I was crazy. Maybe I was. A girl arguing with God in the middle of a silent road.
Suddenly — a scream ripped through the air.
I froze.
"No. No. Nooo! God, why??"
I hated leaving people to suffer. I just couldn't.
"FINE! I'll go! But You better not leave me, God!"
I stepped past the tape and into the woods.
This was definitely NOT what I planned for today.
I just wanted to visit the old man's church in France.
Now I was in a creepy forest, following screams like some horror-movie extra.
And I was seriously starting to suspect the driver. Why did he take this route?
Bushes thickened around me. Trees towered overhead like giants watching me. And those screams… they kept getting louder.
I wasn't looking where I was stepping and—
I TRIPPED.
HARD.
I tumbled down a slope, rolling through bushes until I hit the ground with a painful thud.
"Ow…" I whispered. Everything hurt. Some wounds reopened. My arm was bleeding again.
I pushed myself up, grabbed my pocketknife, and moved forward quietly.
Tiptoe. Tiptoe.
The screams were very close now. Smoke drifted in the air. I squeezed through a final line of bushes… and froze.
A fire burned in the middle of a clearing.
Men — armed, dressed in black — stood in a circle. Each one had a snake-like tattoo on their neck.
At the center was a tall man dressed completely in black, except for his pale skin and icy blue eyes. Danger rolled off him like heat.
He held a gun lazily in one hand, a cigarette in the other.
A man knelt in front of him, begging desperately.
The woman behind him looked beaten and weak.
"You refuse to speak," the tall man said. His voice was cold enough to freeze bone. Even I shivered.
"P-please," the man begged. "My wife… she doesn't deserve this…"
The tall man took a slow puff of his cigarette.
"You signed up for this, Aaron. Why back out now?"
I watched silently from the bushes, too scared to move.
Too scared to breathe.
Then… something crawled onto my shoulder.
Lord Jesus, please let it be a leaf.
Please let it—
I looked.
A spider.
Big. Watching me with eight evil eyes.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I exploded out of the bushes, swinging my arms wildly until the spider fell off. Relief hit me—
Then reality hit harder.
Every head turned.
The men.
The woman.
The tall man.
All eyes were on me.
He stared at me, surprised… then his expression darkened.
"Uh… hi," I said weakly. I waved. "And… bye."
I ran.
Branches slapped my face. My feet barely touched the ground. Footsteps thundered behind me.
"GET BACK HERE!" someone shouted.
"Oh God, I don't want to die!" I cried while sprinting. "You said You won't leave me or forsake me! If I offended You, I'm sorry! Please!!!"
Two men were catching up — fast.
I spotted the road.
"Yes! Freedom! I—"
THUD.
I hit the ground, hard.
They were on me immediately. One grabbed my arms and lifted me like a sack of rice.
"HEY! Let me go! I'll call Jesus on you! I mean it! His Father will not be happy about this!"
They didn't budge.
"Please! I still have so many things to do! I want to visit Jerusalem! I want to see Jesus' tomb! I want to marry a godly man! Don't kill me!"
Nothing.
Just a cold response:
"It depends on the boss."
They dragged me back to the clearing. My heart pounded.
They dropped me, and I scrambled back to my feet, knife ready.
"Try me," I warned. "I might be spoiled, but I can fight!"
Dead silence.
"I'd like to see you try," a voice murmured behind me.
I turned—
The tall man stood there.
Startled, I slipped and fell on my butt.
"Careful now," he said calmly. "You don't want a broken tailbone."
He crouched, eye-level with me.
"What's a little kitten like you doing in the lion's den?"
I couldn't speak. My throat wouldn't work.
My eyes drifted sideways.
The man and woman… no longer moving.
"You… you did that?" I whispered, horrified.
He didn't answer.
He leaned close to my ear and whispered, low and dark:
"Don't worry. Yours will be… different."
My vision blurred.
Everything went black.