A red haze covered the evening sky
as the sun set over the mountains. The air was cool, and it was starting to get
dark. Jeremiah had just gotten home from the mines, another hard day at work,
and it was good to get home to his wife and two sons. His wife, Janine, had
just served him a heaping plate of brisket, potatoes, and corn – a hearty meal
for an overworked man. Everyone sat down at the table, and Jeremiah led them in
saying Grace. God always came first in this household; Jeremiah did a good job
in leading his family in the ways of the Lord. He was a good husband and father
– a leader, a provider, and a protector. But there are just some things that no
man can protect against.
The wind howled from outside,
pounding away at the windows and doors like an angry mob trying to get in. A
storm was brewing, a big one. The family, now finished with their dinner, moved
into the family room to read from the Good Book. They huddled close together as
the wind outside grew more violent. Tonight’s passage was from Revelation.
Jeremiah read about the seventh seal being broken, and the seven angels that
stood before God. The passage went on to talk about hail and fire mingled with
blood, and a third of the sea turning into blood, concluding with a great star
burning as a lamp as it fell from heaven. The star’s name was Wormwood. Jeremiah
was cut short as they all heard a giant splash in the distance, and then the
ground shook. The brave husband and father ran outside to see what had
happened. He saw some smoke rising above the trees about a mile off inside the
woods where the lake was. Curious, he decided to investigate. But just as he
started to step towards the woods, rain poured down heavy from the red sky. The
sky grew ever darker, but still kept its red hue. Lightning crashed, and
thunder roared. Then the rain grew cold and hard, and to Jeremiah’s surprise –
for it was spring – the rain turned into hail. The hail fell harder and harder
as Jeremiah ran inside his house, slammed the door behind him, and rushed to
his wife and kids.
Wet from the storm, Jeremiah
decided to clean up. Janine and the boys stayed in the family room and huddled
by the fire. Upstairs, Jeremiah undressed and drew a bath. The water in the tub
warmed his cold body. He lay back and ran his fingers through his hair, which
was still wet from the rain and hail. It was strange, but the rainwater on his
hand was red, and it had a distinct scent. Even stranger, the water in the tub
began to feel thick, and that distinct scent grew stronger. It was blood.
Jeremiah jumped from the tub, his body soaked in the crimson liquid. More and
more blood filled the bath as a red stream flowed from the faucet. He tried to
turn it shut, but it would not budge. Wiping off as much blood as he could with
a towel, Jeremiah threw on some clothes and ran downstairs. As he entered the
family room, his wife and kids still huddled tight by the fire, the lights went
out and so did the flames. It was dark and cold in the house, growing more so
each second. The wind howled louder outside and banged the walls ferociously,
shaking its very foundation. The family felt as if their whole world was coming
to an end. Jeremiah held his wife and children tight to him, and he prayed over
them, shouting out Bible verses to abate the Wrath of God. He was a good man, and they were a good family. They deserved a better end
than this. They deserved peace. The storm raged on outside as trees uprooted,
and lightning hit the ground. The walls seemed as if they would collapse at any
moment. A loud inhuman scream bellowed from outside. The scream was a mixture
of anger and pain and sounded to come from some vicious bloodthirsty beast.
Jeremiah just kept praying, asking God for mercy and protection – for he could
offer none. The windows around them shattered, and the door before them
splintered open. Lightning crashed to give shape to a demon standing in the
doorway. With arms raised and fists clenched, the creature roared with might,
drowning out the thunder that boomed from the heavens.
At that final word, the heavens
seemed to open, and a bolt of lightning shot down and struck the beast, causing
its cry to become even more ghastly and terrifying. Though the demon was not
destroyed from the direct hit, it was injured and ran off into the woods.
The day after, when the storm had
quieted and the spring sky was blue again, Jeremiah went into the woods. He
walked to the lake where he had seen the smoke coming from the night before.
The entire area around the lake was charred. Confused by the destruction all
around, he bent down by the lake. The water smelled funny, so he scooped some
up into his palms and brought it to his nose. He took a sip.
The water was bitter. At that moment, Jeremiah noticed something growing from
the ground amid the charred greenery. He plucked one of the sprouting leaves.
It smelled much like the water and had the same bitter taste. It was artemisia
absinthium, more commonly known as Wormwood. Jeremiah did not know this. He
only knew that a great pain had seized his entire body, and he hunched over and
collapsed to the ground. He was dead. Whatever had fallen into the water the
night before had poisoned it. This was just one of many woes to come. Wormwood
had fallen from the sky.
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