Fission

Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

Present time

"My bag fell down there, look in it if you don't believe me. My wallet with my name and everything is in there. Some water and food also, just please help me out of this tangled mess." Camila glanced at the backpack and walked over toward it. She dumps it out and grabs the canteen of water. Greedily she drinks the warm liquid down. She then wipes the remaining water off her lips with the back of her sleeve before picking up the wallet and bible lying next to it. She opened the wallet. From his picture, Jonah was a handsome man in his early thirties. He had dark hair and brown eyes. It looked like he had dual citizenship in, USA and Japan. Also, a legal license to practice law along with a business card... attorney at law. Interesting. Camila then read the name out loud.

"Jonah Fox Gambino."

"That's me..." Jonah spoke trying to remain calm as he was still stuck in the jumbled mess of ropes and chains from the barn.

"How do I know you won't hurt me once I free you?" She asked

"How do I know you wont kill me and eat me since I am trapped?" Jonah asked

"Gross..." Her face scrunched up a bit at the thought.

"It has happened. I had to dodge a few cannibals from the city when I made my escape. "Jonah faintly saw her going through his stuff. She looked over his bible and picked it up.

"Why do you have this? And why are you wearing shades inside?" She asked.

" When the bomb hit, I was in the city. The light messed up my eyes. I can see it but it is a cloudy haze sometimes and very burly. Believe me it has not been easy, as you can see." He raised his leg that was still stuck.

"And the bible?" She asked

"I was studying to be a pastor. That was my reason for being in the city. Me and my friend were on the way to a church. The pastor there was going to take us in and I would be under him." The thought of Devin sadden Jonah and Camila picked up on his change of tone.

"Where is your friend?" She asked

"He died in the blast."

"I'm sorry. My family did as well." a few more moments of awkward silence lingered before Jonah spoke up.

"Look, I have a knife in my bag, if you cut the rope you can have it. I'm not going to hurt you, I just... don't want to die trapped like a rabbit here." Camile reached in the bag at took the knife out. She studied it a moment before looking over at him again. She wanted to help, it was her basic instinct, but the things she had gone through over the past month she was still cautious.

"If you are half blind why do you need the book?"

"Really don't have a photographic memory, That is why I was so good at court and law school."

"If that is true...quote Romans 8:35.."

" 35 Who shall ever separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" Jonah quoted and even continued to finish the chapter. Camile looked at the pages she had in her pocket and he was correct.

"If I left you out.... Will you teach me?'' Camile wanted to know more about this bible and this Jesus. Jonah signed deeply. Jonah's faith was still low. Instead of prayers he would catch himself arguing with God at night and now here he was sending this young woman for him to teach.

"Don't leave me much of a choice..." he grumbled.

"I thought preachers were happy to teach about that?" Camila asked, a bit confused.

"They do...it is just this preach has almost lost his faith in it. Not just me but the world it seems."

"Well I would like to know more about the subject and decide for myself. Are you going to help me or not?" Camila spoke boldly.

"Yes..yes."

Camila cut him loose and the two worked together to build a fire. That night they began to open up to each other. For some reason she felt safe around him, an almost peace like aura radiated off of him. Even though he seemed sad, he still seemed peaceful.

"What is your name?" Jonah asked as he placed wood on the fire

"Camila"

"Well Camila it seems like we were sorta of destined to meet."

"Everyone i have met along the way has died and left me that last one shoved these bible verses in my hands before he was murdered " she takes the pages out from her pocket to show him.

"Which verse?"He inquired

"Romans 8."

"That is a good one."

"Why?" Camila was curious.

""For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

‭"What does that have to do with anything?"

"God loves you and he is looking after you. You have a purpose just as I have a purpose to spread the gossip in this fallen world.A purpose I have been running from"

"What is my purpose?" She asked

"Well, maybe help me out of this bind I am in? God has a great sense of humor for sure. Sending someone who wants to know the truth and the bible to a wayward preacher. Here I was thinking no one cared about that sort of stuff any more and yet here you are."

"It was a hard decision for me, but the last act of kindness Dale showed me and his testimony made me want to know more. If God is real and if this bible is real and Dale was an example of it, then I want to know that kind of love and peace. A peace that helps someone walk through such evil and depravity in the world without losing themselves. What do I have to do? Do I have to do certain acts? How do I achieve this? I am tired of being sad and depressed." Camila kept her eyes on the fire.

"Jesus did it for you two thousand years ago. You can't work your way into heaven. All you have to do is repent."

"What is repentance?"

"It is asking God to forgive you for your sins and trying your best not to do them again."

"But what if I mess up?"

"Get back up, repent, and try again. No one is perfect."

"How do I get peace?"

"After you repent, baptize then ask the holy spirit to come inside you. He will give you peace and guide you."

"Who is that?"

"God's holy spirit. sorry."

The two continued to speak throughout the night. Jonah explained how he was once studying to be a lawyer but had an experience with God. How Got saved him and how he ended up where they currently were. He explained how his faith is almost gone, how he got caught up in the ropes and would have died if she had not come along. Camila explained how she came in there to kill myself. How her hope was gone and the troubles she had faced along her journey. Before going to sleep the two made a pact to stay with each other and to always encourage the other. It was an old fashioned pinky promise, sealed with the crossing of their pinkies together.