Soul Survivor: A Restless Soul, #4

By VJ Dunn

Scripture said some would survive the Tribulation. Dalton doubted he'd be one of them.

A Mexican prison was never a place anyone wanted to find themselves. Especially when that prison was controlled by the worst humanity had to offer...

The Peacekeepers.

Even to the non-believer it was obvious the Peacekeepers were evil incarnate. Maybe even actual demons. They sure act like minions of the devil.

And despite the horrors of the outside world that was burning itself into ash, the last place you wanted to be was under their authority.

With no way to escape, Dalton fights to survive... if only to protect Shy, the young teen thrown in the bowels of hell with him. But Shy has a strength of her own, which she uses to encourage Dalton. And despite his misgivings, he knows he's going to have to be like Shy and rely on God Himself if there's a chance they'll survive.

Even if he manages to survive the horrors of the prison, the Red Death continues to threaten Dalton's life. The Peacekeepers have a cure, though, and they taunt him with it. They'll give it to him with no strings attached, they say. They even promise to release him from the prison.

But Dalton knows that the things that sound too good to be true often are, and the Peacekeeper's offer is no different. Because if he wants the cure they offer to save his life, he'll have to take the mark of the beast. The mark of Satan himself.

And that means losing his eternal life.

Will Dalton take the mark to save himself from certain death? Or will he and Shy die at the hands of the Peacekeepers? Order now to find out!

Great for fans of Jamie Lee Grey, Mark Goodwin and Kyla Stone, A Restless Soul series are short stories of biblically truthful and Christian-based fiction. This is a stand-alone series, meaning each book can be read out of order, much like a television series. Due to content, not recommended for children under 13.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HEA Publishers LLC
• Release date: Apr 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223444275

Book preview

SOUL  SURVIVOR

Book 4 in A Restless Soul Series

By

VJ Dunn

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental, except in the mention of public figures such as celebrities, bands, authors, et al.

© 2023 VJ Dunn, Library of Congress Registry Pending.

eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away, as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise — without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, at Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

HEA Publishers

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Douglas, AZ 85608-0591

Or email: [e-mail]

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 1

Faking It

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HOW LONG have we been in here?

Dalton chuckled without opening his eyes. Is that the prisoner’s version of ‘are we there yet’?

"Huh?

He shook his head; he doubted Shy had any clue what he was talking about, since she was barely thirteen and likely hadn’t gone on a vacation with her family. At least, not one she would remember.

And since the deaths of her parents was still a raw wound for the girl, he wasn’t going to remind her of them.

Their bodies flew off the hard metal bench seat when the truck hit yet another rut, or pothole, or whatever was out there. There was no telling what was on the road these days. In his travels, Dalton had seen everything from baby strollers to old computers strewn about the land, as if people fled in a hurry and decided along the way what was necessary to keep, or not.

Dalton didn’t want to think about why a baby stroller was no longer necessary. Because there aren’t any more kids...

He sighed as he scrubbed his face with both hands, wincing at the pain in his jaw from being hit before. Even though he might not want to consider the painful subjects, his brain wouldn’t cut him any slack.

Shy shifted next to him, trying to find a bit of comfort in the back of a truck that wasn’t designed for such. The metallic taste of blood flooded his mouth at the next bump when he bit the inside of his cheek.

Ow! the girl said as she rubbed the back of her head. Dalton sighed, then turned so he could slide his arm behind her, tucking her thin, frail body into his side.

At her age, Shy should have had the beginning of a woman’s curves, the softening of the hips, and filling out of other areas. But with near starvation being a constant threat, it was no wonder the young teen looked like a much younger child.

And that thought brought him to his earlier one...

Shy was the only kid Dalton had come across in what he thought might be close to two years. After everything fell apart, months, weeks and days had become an unattainable concept, a sieve trying to hold sand. There was no real way to tell the passage of time, not with the constant dark sky and seasons that never changed.

Regardless of how long it had been, until he’d met the redheaded child snuggling next to him, obviously glad to have a reprieve from the battering her bones had been taking, Dalton hadn’t even so much as seen a kid under the age of maybe seventeen or eighteen.

He remembered then the Roamer who’d tried to take his belongings, and of how the man’s companion had been in labor—her screams being what had saved Dalton from losing what little he had, including his life. At the time, he’d thought how horrible it would be to have a child in the age they lived. He doubted very much the baby had lived.

Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.

Dalton bit at his sore, mangled cheek to keep from sighing once again, not wanting to jostle Shy who seemed to have found some comfort despite their misery.

Just an hour or so before they’d been stuffed into the back of the truck, he’d had a moment of realization that he was a prodigal and knew that soon he’d be running down the road to home.

To Him.

It had been just after they’d had the incredible victory over the Roamers. Impossible odds stacked against them, but somehow, they’d managed to survive. And they hadn’t lost a single person. In fact, other than bumps and bruises, no one had been truly injured.

The little group he’d been with had called it a miracle.

Dalton knew in that moment that they’d had a supernatural rescue. It had done much to resolidify his faith.

But then the Peacekeepers had arrived, negating whatever miracle had just been done.

He sighed, thinking how he felt like he was back to square one. Doubting. Denying. Defying. Being aggravated by hearing that voice quoting scripture to him. Especially when he had spent countless hours over the past two decades trying to memorize the words from the Bible that continually filled his head now.

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

The groan that slipped past his lips was loud enough to cause Shy to lift her head and stare at him.

Am I hurting you?

Dalton forced a smile, though she wouldn’t see it thanks to the scarf around his face. No, not at all. Gently pushing her head back to his chest, he murmured, I know it’s uncomfortable, but just rest while you can, hon. He didn’t want to finish the thought aloud...

You’re probably going to need your strength for the horrors to come.

It was the unknown that was the worst, he realized. If he’d known exactly what to expect, he could at least prepare. Be ready to face what was coming his way. Stand at the ready for what the Peacekeepers were planning to do to him.

But now he had Shy to worry over...

Despite the fears and stress, Dalton chuckled, though only to himself. Regardless of his encouraging self-talk, he knew that even if he did know what was going to happen, knew what they were going to face, he’d likely fall apart. That he would be an embarrassing, blubbering mess when faced with torture... or worse.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give