Terry and James have left St. Michael's Home for Boys in Anaheim and are travelling northward in California after having re-established that refuge for homeless boys. St. Michael had told them he needed them elsewhere. In their trust and love for the Arch Angel, known to them simply as Michael, they headed away from their first assignment, knowing they would be directed to those in need of their help.
Chapter 1 - FRIENDLY FACES
James was driving the pickup truck, they were approaching the outskirts of Fresno when Terry suddenly screamed, "Love, stop the truck!" There, standing alongside the highway were two redheaded boys, they both instantly recognized them, they were Jerry and Joey Tomlinson from St. Michael's Home for Boys back in Anaheim! They jumped from the truck and ran to the two boys, hugging them in greeting.
Terry asked, "How is it you are here, so far from St. Michaels and waiting for us in this spot?"
The two brothers smiled and Joey replied, "We went to sleep last night and Mr. Michael came to us in our dreams, he told us that we would meet you where you are needed and that we are to be your helpers." He continued, "We know not how we came to be here, we opened our eyes just as you were driving by!"
James asked, "Know you who Mr. Michael really is?"
Both boys shook their heads, "No".
Terry said, "Mr. Michael is Saint Michael the ARCH ANGEL!" Jerry and Joey began to shake in fear and Terry wrapped his arms around them, saying, "Fear you not for Michael is our PROTECTOR and we are his WARRIORS!"
James added, "This also includes you both, let us continue our journey, I feel we are nearing our assignment."
The two newcomers jumped into the backseat of the truck and they all headed into the city of Fresno.
They drove around, aimlessly, knowing that they would find their objective soon. They were in a rough section of town when they spotted a group of boys being "herded" by some tough-looking adults and older teens. James slammed on the brakes, skidding the truck to a stop. They all jumped out and stood in the way of the procession of boys. Terry shouted, "In the name of St. Michael, what are you doing with these children?"
The adult, who seemed to be in charge snarled at him and said, "None of your damned business, these are our property and we shall use them as we please!"
As he stared at Terry, Terry began to shimmer and grow in height, his voice boomed out, "These boys belong to us!"
The men and older teens guarding the boys were struck with an intense wave of fear and they fell to the ground, clawing at themselves as if they were being attacked by thousands of biting ants! The young boys began to cry in their fear and Jerry and Joey ran to them saying, "We are the Warriors of St. Michael, come with us and we will protect you."
One of the boys said through his sobs, "We are slaves, we were being taken to the sex market to be sold."
Joey's eyes began to roll in horror and Terry shouted, "Jump into the back of the truck quickly and we will take you from these awful people!" The fifteen young boys ran to the truck and climbed into the bed as fast as they could.
As Terry turned to leave, one of the teens called to him in his agony being inflicted upon his body, "Sir, take me with you, I was forced into this, they threatened my life if I did not help them."
Terry knelt down beside the teen and looked him squarely in the eyes, "Do you swear on your very soul, what you say is the truth?"
The teen cried, "In the name of God, I swear that I was forced to do this terrible thing!" At that, the teen's pain stopped instantly and he sat up crying, "Please take me with you, they will kill me."
Terry reached down and lifted the teen to his feet, hugging him and said, "Jump into the bed of the truck, let us be gone from this awful place!"
As soon as everyone was loaded into the truck, James drove off as rapidly as he dared. They began cruising the streets, searching for a clue to their objective. As they drove down a ramshackle street, they spotted a bright light at the end of the block, both James and Terry wondered if that was their signal?
As they drew closer, they saw a derelict group of buildings and a broken sign that read, "St. Michael's Rescue Mission". They knew they had found their destination. They jumped out of the truck, along with Jerry and Joey to investigate.
The teen, who identified himself as Charles Foster, said, "Go, I will keep these boys safe while you look around."
They knew that St. Michael was with them and nothing would be allowed to hurt the boys, so they agreed and went off to explore the property. They finally found a way into the main building and they started to search for what they knew would be there. James went into a room that had once been an office, there, on the floor, he spotted a large manila envelope. He shouted for the others to join him and, when they all were present, he opened the envelope. The envelope was filled with documents, title to the property was in Terry and James' names as was a bank account with $500,000 in it. There were custody papers for the fifteen boys that were also in the envelope along with an employment contract for Charles Timothy Foster as a Mentor.
Jerry and Joey went back out to the truck and brought all the boys and Charles into their new home. As they were exploring, they heard footsteps walking across the floor above them. They quietly crept up the stairs and down the hallway to where they had heard the noise. They flung open the door and discovered a group of boys cowering in the corner of the room. Terry walked slowly to the group, holding out his hands to show them they were empty and he meant them no harm. He said to them, "I am Terry Donaldson and Michael sent us to you."
One of the boys ran to him, tears flowing down his face saying, "Mr. Terry, we all have dreamed of you and have been waiting for days, we are out of food since yesterday and we are very hungry!"
Terry turned to James, who said immediately, "I am on my way, Jerry, will you come with me to help carry the stuff I am going to purchase?"
Jerry ran to him and said, "Let's go!"
Charles continued to explore and discovered that the electricity was turned on, as were the water and gas. He went into the utility room and found hot water heaters standing in a row, when he pressed the "ON" button that was on the wall next to the water heaters, they came on with a roar! There were also washing machines and clothes dryers in the room, as well as a huge furnace. Upstairs, they discovered a fully equipped kitchen and refrigerators and freezers already in operation.
The boy, who seemed to be the leader of the boys already in the Mission, Carl Tillotson, said, "Mr. Terry, I have an envelope for you." He handed Terry a large envelope that contained custody papers for the boys they had discovered already in the building.
Terry shook his head, they had just arrived and already they had twenty-five boys to care for! He started to tremble in fear himself and he knelt down and prayed to St. Michael, "St. Michael, help us and guide us in what we are about to do in your name." He felt his soul eased and a sense of peace came over him, he knew that they had St. Michael's approval!
There came a knock on the front door and Charles went to answer it. There stood a young policeman who drew his gun as soon as he recognized Charles, "Charles Foster, I told you to stay away from young boys, that crowd you are running with are bad people!"
Terry ran to the door saying, "Officer, I am Terry Donaldson and Charles is working for us now."
The policeman looked relieved and said, "You are from Michael?"
Terry replied, "Yes, we are Warriors of St. Michael!"
The young Policeman began to cry himself and said, "Michael saved me from myself and I have dreamed of you, Mr. Terry. I am a gay man and my partner and I have been waiting for you!" He spoke into his radio to someone and then turned to Charles and said, "Do you swear that you will protect and nurture the boys in this house?"
Charles replied, "Mr. George, I swear on my soul that I will protect and care for the boys here at St. Michael's Mission and all other boys with whom I will come in contact!"
The Policeman then turned to Terry and said, "Mr. Terry, I am George Marcos and my partner, Eddie Martin will be coming here, I just called him. We are both Juvenile Protection Officers and we will assist you in any way we can." He continued, "As soon as you are ready, we have about thirty boys stashed around, who need a home and some older teens, also."
Terry sat down, stunned, and asked, "So many?"
George replied, "Yes, we are troubled with a boy sex slavery ring and we are trying to break them up!"
Charles spoke up, "I know who some of them are, I will tell you all I know."
George said to him, "Charles, they will kill you if they find out."
Charles replied, "I cannot live like this, you have not seen what I have seen, you have not seen the terror and fear on those boys' faces, I will do anything not to ever see that again!" He sat beside Terry, who hugged him and reassured him that he would be protected.
Just then, James and Jerry returned with the truck bed filled with food and supplies. Charles organized the boys to carry everything in and get it put away. Terry put together a quick lunch for everyone, including the Juvenile Officer, George Marcos. As they were eating, Eddie Martin arrived and he, also, was invited to have lunch with them. Eddie mentioned to Terry and James that his older brother had been a cook in the Army and had not been able to find work.
Terry said, "Well, send him over and we will talk with him." Eddie jumped up and went into the office, where he discovered a telephone that was working and called his brother, who said he would be right over.
As soon as they had finished eating, the boys put their plates and silverware in the dishwasher and began using brooms and mops to clean the floors. They discovered sheets and towels in a closet, all wrapped in protective plastic, ready to be used. By late afternoon, they had enough beds made up for the boys and Terry and James to sleep. Eddie's bother, Maxwell Martin showed up and he so impressed Terry and James that they hired him immediately.
Supper that night was a delight to all the boys, who previously had lived on scraps pilfered from garbage cans! Chicken fried steak, a huge green salad, mashed potatoes with white gravy and finished off with a fresh baked apple pie and vanilla ice cream - all they could eat. Seconds and even thirds were OK! As Charles ran the boys through the showers, before bedtime, he needed to comfort more than one boy who was overwhelmed by the food and care. As Terry and James came around to hug each boy goodnight, they found many tear-soaked pillows.
When they came back downstairs, they came upon Charles, on his knees, praying, they listened quietly as the teen prayed to St. Michael, "St. Michael, I know I have done many bad things but I promise you those days are over. I beg your forgiveness and ask that you give me a second chance. Please, St. Michael, I want only to be one of your Warriors, to save and protect boys in need and to do your work!" As they started to back away, to leave Charles to his prayers, they saw a smile on Charles' face, radiating joy like a flashing beacon. They knew that the teen's prayer had been accepted by The Arch Angel. They were joined by yet another WARRIOR!
Chapter 2 - THE BATTLE
Two of the boys that George and Eddie had rescued and placed in temporary homes were re-captured by the slavers. They became concerned that, somehow, the slavers had learned where they had hidden the boys, so they gathered up all thirty-five of the remaining boys and brought them to the Mission. Terry and James were overwhelmed with that many additional boys, but George told them not to worry, they had some older teens stashed away who would help with the younger boys if Terry and James would take them in also. James told him that older teens were boys in need also, and they would be welcomed, whether they could help the younger boys or not!
That afternoon, he and Eddie brought six teen boys, all so nervous they were shaking. Terry and James hugged each boy, welcoming them to St. Michael's Rescue Mission for Boys. They all promised to help with the younger boys and they set to work gaining the boys' trust.
After that, it was a steady trickle of boys, some arriving on their own and some brought by George and Eddie. George resigned from the Police Force and joined Terry and James in operating the Mission. Each day they walked the boys to school and back after school; allowing the slavers no chance in recapturing a St. Michael's Boy.
As the boy population exceeded one-hundred boys, Terry and James felt they needed assistance in upgrading the buildings, so they contacted a professional building maintenance firm to restore the buildings and keep them maintained.
Milan Stephanos came to survey the job, when he saw the boys, he broke down into tears. He turned to Terry and James saying, "You belong to St. Michael?" They said they did and then he continued, "Many years ago, St. Michael helped me, I was ready to kill myself and he showed me a future that could be mine if only I would not jump off that bridge!" When he had regained control of his emotions, he continued, "I will charge you only for materials used and I ask that you allow me to be around these boys. I will tell them my story and I will assist you in protecting them. I know about the slavery ring, if you need assistance, I and all my employees will come immediately!"
Soon, the buildings began to be refurbished, inside and out, the grounds were maintained and the fencing repaired. He saw that Terry and James were working long hours to keep up with the needs of the boys, he asked if he could assist them in hiring some qualified help and they told him any help would be greatly appreciated. Through Milan, they hired an office assistant, two janitors, a laundryman and a groundskeeper.
The bank account seemed to always stay at $500,000, so they knew that their Benefactor was watching out for them. Still, they were careful with the money, getting the most value out of every dollar spent! Eddie insisted they hire some retired policemen as security, he knew it was only a matter of time before the slavers were attracted to such a ready supply of young boys, the population had grown to two hundred twenty boys!
Some of the boys were having difficulties in school. They had been on the run for so long, they were far behind their age group. Terry and James conferred with the school authorities, who suggested they hire some tutors. They hired six tutors, but they never found out which one it was, but one of them had connections to the slavery gangs!
The first attack occurred several nights after the tutors first came to "help" their boys. Royal Ferguson, the Security Man on duty reported that someone was outside "casing" the facility. Terry immediately contacted Milan, who arrived in a few minutes with thirty of his employees. Many of them were ex-Marines or Army soldiers, all with combat experience! They all came armed with baseball bats and those who had firearm permits, carried pistols or shotguns. Some came with both! All of Milan's employees had come to respect Terry and James and love the Boys of St. Michaels.
Terry and James were in a rage that anyone would threaten THEIR BOYS! Both suddenly felt a calming peace come over them and knowledge of defensive tactics, they knew from whom that came, they knew they were WARRIORS OF SAINT MICHAEL!
The attack came shortly after midnight, Charles had placed all the boys in a storeroom down in the basement, and he stayed in the room with the boys and locked the door. He was armed with a baseball bat, any attacker would have to get through him first! The slavers first attempted to force the front door, but Milan had long ago fitted it with drop bars and reinforced all the outside doors with steel plates. Finally, they broke into an office window and when they opened the door to invade the building, they were met with shotgun blasts of double ought pellets! RIOT LOADS! They fell back, leaving their wounded where they lay. The defenders had no mercy in them for their pain, they were left on the floor, screaming until the police arrived.
The police seemed more interested in who had firearm permits than they were in the slavers who had attempted to steal children! Milan was infuriated, he telephoned his wife's cousin, who was the Mayor of Fresno, and told him what was going on. Fifteen minutes later, he, the Chief of Police and the Chairman of the City Council arrived, just in time to see the wounded attackers being placed in private cars by policemen and taken away. The Chief of Police got out his cell phone and called the State CID (Criminal Investigation Division) and asked for assistance. He then relieved a Police Captain of duty and called in the Special Tactical Squad to take charge. Suddenly, all but two rookie policemen disappeared.
The Chairman of the City Council called a special meeting of the City Council to be held immediately on location. One city councilman was shot by a sniper hiding in the trees across the street. Fortunately, he was not fatally injured. When the Mayor turned to look at Terry and James, both young men were glowing and looked to be ten feet tall, each armed with a gleaming broadsword, looking like fierce warriors of old! He shuddered, not even wanting to know what was going on.
Terry's voice thundered out into the night, "YOU SHALL NOT HAVE THE CHILDREN. DEATH BE UNTO YOU WHO HAVE DEFILED GOD'S PRECIOUS JEWELS!" His judgment was heard throughout the city and within minutes, ambulances were racing to recover persons who had dropped dead on the streets!
Chapter 3 - RECOVERY
Terry and James hurried to the basement to relieve Charles and bring the boys back to the safety of their own beds. When they knocked on the door and identified themselves, a cautious Charles slipped out the door, locking it and fiercely waving his baseball bat. As he recognized Terry and James, he lowered his bat in relief. He stammered, "Th, the, they are gone?"
James hugged Charles and said, "Yes, Charles, they have been defeated, the collaborators in the Police Department have been arrested and the remaining slavers are dead. And, you, Charles, are a TRUE WARRIOR OF ST. MICHAEL!"
As the news of the slaver's defeat spread through the city, boys began arriving at the Mission, the population exceeded five hundred boys in just a week after the assault. Within a month, every available bed was filled and Milan was working his men overtime refurbishing the other buildings on the property.
The boys requested shirts and sweaters that were printed on the back, "SAINT MICHAEL'S BOY" and schoolyard bullies very soon learned not to attack a Saint Michael's Boy, another dozen would pounce upon him without warning. Teachers volunteered to tutor those boys needing assistance after school hours and all boys were at grade level or beyond by the end of the semester.
By Christmas, there were one thousand boys living at Saint Michael's Rescue Mission! Terry and James, with assistance from Jerry, Joey and Charles, bought and wrapped Christmas gifts for every boy and extras for those who arrived late. Christmas morning, the boys were met with a beautifully decorated tree, a gift from Milan, and tables groaning with Christmas delicacies. The delightful food attracted the boys, they never even thought to look under the tree for gifts.
As the boys were gobbling food like, well like boys, there was a knock at the front door. Jerry went to answer it and when he opened the door, there were six ragged, dirty and starving boys standing there. One boy said, "Please sir, could we have some food for Christmas?"
By then, Joey and Charles were attracted to the opening of the door, Charles said, "Of course, you may have food and, if you wish, you may join us for Christmas and live here, too, if you wish."
The first boy stammered, "Yu, yo. You mean you would have us, we are so dirty and you are so clean!"
Joey hugged the boy and said, "We have all been there like you, now come join us!" They led the six boys into the dining room and announced, "God has given us six Christmas Presents!"
All the boys stood and cheered, called the new boys to come sit with them and have a Christmas Meal! Not one boy complained of the dirt, nor of the sour smell nor the ragged clothing, they had ALL been there and done that. The six new boys thought they had died and been transported to Heaven. There was food everywhere, in huge quantities, just for the asking.
One little boy, not older than five years old, said to an older boy sitting next to him, "Please sir, might I have another orange?" The boy, Jeremy Tandy handed the child two oranges and asked him if he would like another hamburger. The little boy's eyes gleamed and he said, "Oh, please, sir, may I?"
Jeremy hugged the child, dirt, smell and rags and told him he could have any and all the food he wanted! The small child just sobbed on Jeremy's shoulder. Jeremy swore that the child WOULD BE his little brother for life. Soon, the food and the warmth and the safety made the child sleepy and he ended up sleeping in Jeremy's arms. When someone volunteered to take the boy to bed, Jeremy refused, "He is my brother, he isn't heavy at all!"
As the meal ended, someone spotted the gifts under the tree and everyone raced into the Auditorium. Charles stood in front of the tree and said, "We have new boys who need gifts!"
Immediately, hundreds of boys stood yelling, "They may have my gift!"
Charles smiled and announced, "No need, Santa knew they were coming to us and left presents for them."
Six boys raced up to Charles, demanding that they be allowed to take a gift to a new boy. By now, the boy in Jeremy's arms had awakened. He told Jeremy that his name was Anthony, but he didn't know what his last name was.
Little Carl Blevins brought a gift to them and said, shyly, "Here, Tony, Santa Claus brought this just for you." Anthony took the gift and just held it, not knowing what to do as he had never received a gift of any kind ever before!
Jeremy helped Anthony open the gift, it was a remote-controlled racing car. Jeremy had such protective feelings for little Tony, he forgot completely to go get his own gift. When Tony squealed in delight as his car raced across the floor, Jeremy knew what being a father felt like. He suddenly felt a presence and he heard a whisper in his mind, "The Boy is now Anthony Tandy, brother of Jeremy Tandy!" Jeremy hugged Anthony and cried for nearly an hour before Charles could get him to tell him what had happened.
Charles made sure that Terry knew of the event so that proper records could be created for the two boys. The two boys would care for each other for the remainder of their lives! Carl Blevins would become Tony's partner and the three of them would grow to adulthood, be successful in their lives, but never would the three be separated.
Chapter 4 - ENDINGS AND NEW BEGINNINGS
The holiday season ended and school resumed. The six new boys were given tutoring and they were soon brought up to grade level. There was a steady flow of new boys, some were brought to them by the authorities and some made it on their own. More and more, Charles was taking over management of St. Michael's Refuge for Boys, and Terry and James knew they could expect a visit from Saint Michael at any time.
Winter turned to spring and baseball was on the minds of many boys. Milan was called in to create two baseball diamonds, one for the smaller boys and one for the teens and near teens. Teams were chosen and challenges issued, but the team rivalry remained friendly, almost brotherly. The teams took great pride in coaching the smaller boys, who blossomed under the attention of "older brothers"!
St. Michaels Boys were known throughout the city and surrounding area. Older boys were asked to speak at schools and adult meetings, their stories were all the same, "PROTECT THE CHILDREN!"
At last, Terry and James felt the summons, they went to the study room on the top floor and knelt down, awaiting their benefactor to arrive. SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCH ANGEL. Suddenly Jerry and Joey burst into the room stating, "We also are called!" They knelt beside Terry and James, waiting.
The room began to glow and before them stood THE GREAT ARCH ANGEL in all his glory, his great white wings billowing behind him! "My Warriors, I am well pleased, it is time for the four of you to go forth, follow your hearts!" He faded from view and the four went to pack their belongings.
As they made ready to depart, the screams and wails were heard throughout the campus, boys came running, tears flowing so heavy, they could hardly see where they were going. Their common plea was, "WHY?"
Terry said, "Boys, you know that we are the WARRIORS OF SAINT MICHAEL, there are other boys elsewhere who are suffering, we are needed to rescue them as we rescued you! Do not be sad, but rejoice in your own happiness and the happiness of those whom we shall rescue next." The four then went through the entire group of boys, hugging each one. As they got in the truck, Terry asked, "Well, which direction should we go?"
Joey said, "Could we go west to the ocean? I have never seen the sea." They drove west, over the coastal mountains and turned north on the Coastal Highway 101.
AFTERWORD:
The four WARRIORS headed north knowing that St. Michael would direct them to where they were most needed. Their story will be continued in Book 4, "THE BATTLES"