J D Panas

The Battle for the Gift J D Panas

The world has started to experience unprecedented climate change and violence. It's like all hell has let loose, and only a few with the gift to see can do anything about it. Tyler, a selfish, addiction-ridden criminal, shrugs off the horrifying visions with the booze and drugs until his hardened lifestyle gets him beaten to within an inch of his existence. There is a battle between the angels and demons for his soul as he sinks into a place that is so real-the smells, the fear, the pain. A voice calls and wrenches him from its depths. After a lengthy hospital stay, Tyler is surprised to find his bill is paid in full. He decides to see the priest who befriended him and his grandfather, who he feels had something to do with his survival. The priest is right where Tyler expects him to be, assisting the poor from his church slash home and shelter. It is here Tyler receives a gift. He visits his grandfather and learns of the love and prayers that went out for him. Their conversation goes to the time his grandmother was dying of cancer and how his grandfather discovered the wretched beasts that tormented her. Tyler thinks about his brush with death: So it wasn't just a dream? Tyler is compelled to go back to the alley where he nearly lost his life, and there he meets his destiny. His guardian angel directs him to a struggling community and marketplace that is plagued by a ruthless gang, with a mysterious monastery run by monks who live by the Oldest Book in the world and a girl who shows up when terrible things happen. Tyler's eyes are opened to the truth of two worlds-the natural and the supernatural.