Baptism of Fire

Abraham Moreno

Description

In this world, there are people who walk the earth that carry special gifts. For Abraham Moreno, it comes with a cost. Trusting his extraordinary abilities to find his purpose, he must face his greatest fear.
As he confides in his best friend Donnie and the love of his life, Liv, he soon realizes that he may have revealed secrets to the wrong people. His faith is tested when God’s gifts bring him love and joy as well as trials and tribulation.
Pushed to the brink of unleashing this anomaly, an unlikely evil arises that will challenge his very existence. Facing an adversary equipped with skills that are equally matched, he endures betrayal, deception and a fear he has never known before.
Ultimately, he may have to give up his life in order to find out what he was truly meant for…

Sujets

• Thrillers
• Baptism
• Fire
• Chimera
• Suspense
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 27 avril 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781524688011
• Langue: English

Extrait

BAPTISM OF FIRE
Abraham Moreno

 
AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]
 
 
 
 
© 2017 Abraham Moreno. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse 04/26/2017
 
ISBN: 978-1-5246-8803-5 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-5246-8802-8 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-5246-8801-1 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017905775
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
 
To EAM
 
This story would mean nothing without your love. Thank you for teaching me how to love, and even though my love knows no bounds, it would be meaningless without the ability to express it in the most intimate ways. You succeeded where everyone else failed. You broke through barriers that no one else could. Only a soulmate can do that. I love you
Contents
Prologue
I Fire
II The Gun
III Questions
IV Grandma Marcella and the Dancing Diva
V The Volcano
VI The Test
VII Snake with Legs
VIII Soul Search
IX Souls Meet
X The Dream Thief
XI Fire Rises
XII Back the Blue
XIII Countermeasures
XIV April Rains
XV Justice
XVI MAP
XVII July 18
XVIII Hermanos De Sangre
XIX Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
XX Soulmates
XXI Water
XXII May Flowers
XXIII Predator
XXIV Cracks in the Armor
XXV Shockwave
XXVI Fallout
XXVII Breaking Bread
XXVIII From the Bottomless Pit
XXIX M Power
XXX Title Bout I
XXXI Revelations
XXXII Regeneration
XXXIII Chimera
XXXIV Second Chances
XXXV Premonition
XXXVI Revenge
XXXVII Faith
XXXVIII Night in Old San Antonio
XXXIX Title Bout II
XL Restoration
Acknowledgements
Prologue
“JEFF!”
Fifteen seconds before the oil slick made an eloquent appearance, three-year-old Jeff disemboweled the second portion of relief. The poor little guy sat in silence with a blank stare, not knowing any better. Rodrigo unbuckled his seatbelt, only to reach back and unbuckle Jeff’s as well.
“Can I use that shirt in the backseat?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“I don’t want him to get your seats all full of shit!”
Abraham laughed as Rodrigo placed the shirt under Jeff. He rolled down the window to allow the inevitable foul smell to escape. Rodrigo stuck his head out the window and yelled into the night, “Wild Zebra!”
The green Honda burst onto Highway 281 South, emerging from the downtown Friday night scene. Nightfall descended on the city of San Antonio, and the cool November evening deviated from the constant heat that swelled most of the year.
Eager to get the night started, delivering Jeff to his caretaker was the first order of business. “My grandma should be home, so we’ll drop off Jeff and then head to the strip club!” Rodrigo said, looking forward to carouse the streets. The life of a twenty-something, without a care in the world had its perks, but within a few seconds, that was all about to change.
 
The car began to drift, veering off to the right, nearly hitting the neighboring Toyota in the next lane. In a panic, Abraham slammed on the breaks in hopes to avoid collision. The highway curve, leading to I-10 west, further complicated the situation as an SUV closed in on him fast as it moved in from the left. Sandwiched between the two cars, he attempted to regain control.
The car swerved to the left with such ferocity, that the concrete barrier presented danger rather than the safety precaution it was intended for. Rodrigo grabbed onto Jeff’s shirt and clenched his fist holding on to him for life. Unbuckling the three-year-old proved to be a mistake. His attempt to avoid feces reaching the seat from Jeff’s soiled clothing didn’t matter anymore. The perfect storm began taking shape.
With a head-on collision with the barrier, little Jeff unbuckled, Rodrigo holding onto his son for dear life and a car impacting at 60 mph, left only a millisecond to brace for impact.
 
BOOM!!!
 
The world stopped. The force knocked the wind out of him. It was like being in a crash-test dummy commercial, sudden and violent. A million thoughts flashed through his mind in half a second of time. “My life will never be the same.” Questions, many of them crept in as well. “Where do I go from here?” Uncertainty flooded in. “Will I live through this?”
Hope lingered, but there was not enough room for it to breathe.
 
The windshield cracked like ice. A thousand tiny pieces were ready to explode, but they did not shatter. The airbag deployed, grazing him on the forehead. The impact flung them over to what he thought was the grassy area beside the highway. After a couple seconds, he came to full consciousness. Upside down, the final resting place for the car was worse than expected. Unbuckling himself, he crashed to the floor.
Rodrigo yelled with urgency. He immediately escaped with little Jeff in-tow.
The rear windshield had burst into oblivion. Debris scattered throughout the car. Abraham crawled out cautiously. He hunkered over the portion where the glass once held in the occupants safely. He noticed pavement as the car did not land where he predicted.
“Oh shit!” An African-American gentleman stood in shock as Abraham emerged from the wreckage. On his cell phone, he put his hand over his mouth. He was a heavy-set man in his thirties, easily in position to help him out of the vehicle, but did not, as he froze at the sight.
“Ugh! Can’t…breathe.” He spit, tasting blood mixed with saliva. He couldn’t speak freely and his chest felt heavy.
“Man, are you alright!?” The gentleman asked with eyes widened. Abraham glanced over to his right. He didn’t acknowledge the man as he focused his sights on a clearly injured Rodrigo and Jeff. Rodrigo cradled Jeff; his cries could be heard down the highway. He sat against the concrete barrier, opposite the one they crashed into, and he held Jeff like a baby attempting to settle him down. His efforts were futile as Jeff yelled louder. Abraham crawled out sluggishly through what was once the rear windshield. Walking over slowly and dazed, he crept lower against the concrete as both men sat defeated.
“I called the police! An ambulance is on the way!” Shouts could be heard amidst the crowd.
Jeff cried unbearably. Rodrigo had a gash on the side of his forehead. Blood trickled down his leg and both of his arms were cut up. None of that mattered as fear descended on both of them. Fear from a seriously injured Jeff and fear of a future unknown.
A young woman walked over calmly. “Is there anybody you want me to call?” Her voice spoke in a peaceful manner, unlike the rest of the crowd that began to build up.
“No…” he whispered as he did not want to alert Mom and Dad. They didn’t need to know about this catastrophe. Mom and Dad had Paulina for the weekend and he didn’t want her frightened at the sight of the mess unfolding. “…yeah…call…my mo…my brother.” He gave her the number.
The wreckage spread across three lanes. Oncoming traffic onto I-10 West was blocked to a standstill. The car collided with the barrier on the opposite end of the highway.
“Man, you flew over two lanes!” A young man hollered. He couldn’t have been more than 20 years old. With a baby face and weighing no more than 110 lbs., he shouted with no remorse. “I can’t believe you walked out of that! That’s amazing! This guy walked out of that! Hey man, are you alright!?”
Abraham ignored the young man. The red and white lights flashed with ferocity and the crowd buzzed with speculation of the events that transpired. Traffic grew for miles and the center of attention remained on the three survivors.
“Excuse me, kid.” A paramedic pushed aside the young man. He knelt down next to Abraham. “Sir, I’m going to check your vitals and put this neck brace on you. Are you in pain or hurt?”
The wind picked up. The concrete grew cold and uncomfortable. Abraham shivered. Being hot-blooded, he was not familiar with the bodily response. Naturally, the paramedic perceived him to be in shock as he reached for a neck brace.
“No, I’m fine…I don’t need a neck brace.”
“Are you in pain, sir?” The paramedic asked once more.
“No…just got the wind knocked out of me.”
“Is it ok if we take you to the hospital just to check you over?” The paramedic looked him over with concern.
“No, I’m ok.”
“Ok, just to cover our end, I’ll need you to come over to the ambulance to sign off that we are not taking you to the hospital for medical attention.”
Rodrigo and Jeff were escorted away into a separate ambulance. Rodrigo was put on a stretcher and hauled off.
The young woman, who offered help, approached him and helped him rise as his weakened legs moved slower than usual. “Your brother said he is on the way.”
At that moment, Roy ran across the shut down highway. He was not alone. Michelle accompanied him. “I’m his dad, is he ok?” he asked the paramedic.
“He seems to be fine, but I need to take him over to the ambulance to have him sign off.”
“Are you ok, dad? I saw the car…” Roy carried a different persona. He wasn’t the usual dick Abraham ha