A NOVEL ─ THE ADVENTURES OF KEVIN KRAMER IN COMMUNIST EUROPE ─ A Novel about the End Times ─ Chapter 2 ─ "The Visitor"

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The Adventures of Kevin Krämer in Communist Europe

- The Escape from Communist Europe -

 (A Novel about the End Times)

By: Justin Brown (a pen name)

Recommended reading for ages 14 and older.

This is a novel for teens and adults.

This novel contains some violence (such as gunshots and fights); intense chase scenes;

clean romantic elements (i.e. clean conversations between a guy and his girlfriend);

 and themes appropriate for teenagers and adults.

You will not find any profanity, immorality, or gore in this novel.

It is written to edify the reader, and not to provoke sinful thoughts.

This story is free to be copied, printed, and distributed, but it must remain unaltered.

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Synopsis

Europe has been invaded, the superpower across the sea is no more, and the country of "Baltania" is controlling Europe through communistic puppet governments. Under the oppressive cloud of communism, a small group of underground Christians faces a powerful crime organization bent on their capture and destruction. 

Under this heavy, oppressive cloak, Kevin Kramer, a 30-year-old, and Maritza, his attractive, 27-year-old girlfriend, must decide who they will serve as they fall in love with each other, start a romantic relationship, and try to evade the unrelenting and dangerous members of a criminal organization, which seeks to kidnap underground Christians to sell to the secret police.

Together with some friends, Kevin and Maritza must do their best to avoid being captured as they learn to trust God and follow His guiding hand in these last days just before the rise of the Antichrist. This fast-paced story is designed to be fascinating. But, don't just take our word for it... 

[Note: Baltania is a fictional country within the Eurasian land mass. At one time, it had a communistic past. During a third world war, communism revived in this country as it's armies conquered Europe. Since we do not want to point fingers at any particular country, we will not name this country or coalition of countries.]

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Chapter 2

"The Visitor"

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Maritza Leaving Her Apartment

Maritza waited for the elevator doors to slide open before she stepped into the first floor hallway of her apartment building. A bicycle clicked beside her, as she walked with it. Passing through the main entrance and into the full parking lot outside, she breathed in the fresh air before hopping onto the ‘cycle.

Bike rides were refreshing to her and they gave her the opportunity to see the outdoors and feel the wind against her face. After gliding through her parking lot, she pulled onto a nearby street and sped down a course which would bring her to the outskirts of town. Nestled up against the edge of town, a forested nature preserve offered her a place to relax and seek God.

Twelve minutes later, she arrived in the nature preserve, and decreased her speed as she entered a paved pathway, which was lined with elderberry bushes and Vanhoutte spirea plants. Though the park was scenic and woodsy, she knew it was not empty. People enjoyed jogging or biking along the paved pathways that ran through the trees and over footbridges. Others strolled across the grass and ambled along some of the graveled trails which ran beside ponds and artificial fountains.

Maritza had no idea that someone had spotted her at the moment she had entered the path. Neither did she realize that that person was now following her on a bicycle.

As she rode, something told her that she should quicken her speed and turn to the left, off the trail, and head back toward a nearby street, over a lawn, but she didn’t listen to the impression to leave. ‘I haven’t ridden for twelve minutes just to go back home to my empty apartment,’ Maritza thought to herself as she rode.

_ _ _ _

Immediately after Europe was conquered by Baltania, the new European puppet governments and their new leaders had begun to oppress the people of Europe with tight-fisted, communistic dictatorships that sought to control all aspects of life. As this happened, all churches were forced to register with their national governments. But, many went ‘underground’ and met in secret locations, and at different times of the week.

_ _ _ _

Wolf, a muscular, blond-haired man, some distance behind her, drew out his smartphone, while riding his bike, and began snapping pictures of her as she rode. Wolf then slowed down, hopped off his bicycle, and watched as the blond-haired girl followed a bend in the trail, which brought her moving across his line of sight. He zoomed in on the Maritza with a special telephoto lens he had snapped onto his phone. Now, her face filled his screen. He quickly snapped a series of pictures before she disappeared from view behind a screen of dense bushes.

Then, Wolf quickly glanced through the photos on his phone. He could only see a side profile of her face, but that might be enough to help him and his ‘coworkers’ identify her and track her down. But, he knew he really needed a photo of her complete face to send to his team.

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Kevin’s Apartment

Kevin and his Svenja were in the middle of a phone conversation when she had said: “I wanted to tell you one quick thing.”

“What’s that?”

“The widow, Tamara, wishes to give you a special gift. It is a small package. I don’t know what’s inside it. Would you like to come over tonight for dinner? Rolf would be happy to see you again.”

“Sure, why not,” Kevin said, trying to sound more cheerful than he felt.

Once he had ended the conversation, Kevin grabbed a backpack and headed over to the kitchen where he wrote a brief note on a scrap of paper, telling his roommate that he would be out for supper. Then, Kevin opened a walk-in closet in the hallway and grabbed his hybrid electric bicycle. He hefted it down six flights of stairs until he reached the small “lobby” on the ground level.

Then, after passing through the front door, Kevin was on the street with his electric bicycle. After he got it rolling down the parking lot and into a street bordering the high-rise apartment building, he flipped a switch on a box attached to his left handlebar. Now, the electric motor was spinning and propelling him at a speed of 16 kph (or 10 mph). He turned a section of the rubber grip on his right handlebar clockwise and the bicycle sped up.

After a few seconds had passed, he was zooming across the asphalt at 35 kph (or 22 mph). He should be at his sister’s house in less than three minutes if he didn’t have any stops. The fresh air felt invigorating, especially since the rain had stopped. As he rolled through the streets of Kühnburg, Kevin had no idea that he was being followed.

Before long, he reached the parking lot of a mid-rise apartment building and hopped off his bike near the main entrance to an apartment building. Kevin pushed his bicycle through and walked down the white, vinyl floor of a long, beige hallway lined with white apartment doors. Halfway down, he paused at a door and knocked. His limp bothered him a little, but he tried to ignore it.

Several seconds passed before it opened and Kevin’s brother-in-law, Rolf, stood in the opening. With a smile on his face, the 2.44-meter-tall (or about 8 feet), curly-haired giant reached down and shook Kevin’s hand. “It’s good to see you, Kevin,” Rolf said with a deep voice. “We’ve been expecting you.”

Feeling like a child before the giant, the 1.7-meter-tall (5’7”), 30-year-old Kevin stepped through the door with his bike and glanced up at Rolf, whose head nearly touched the ceiling. Rolf was only four years older than Kevin, but Kevin always felt like a midget in the presence of the giant.

Though he might at first appear intimidating, Rolf had a sense of humor and a gracious disposition that made Kevin soon feel at ease around him. He led Kevin down a hallway past two bedroom doors on the right, and a bathroom and closet on the left.

(Click on this link to read brief descriptions
about some of the characters from this novel.)

They were now in a small living room which bordered the kitchen. Wide entrances on either side of a partitioning wall gave access to the small space where Svenja liked to prepare delicious meals. Having guests over was a pleasure to her, especially since they always commented favorably about the meals she prepared.

Kevin again noticed the unusual features of the apartment furniture. To accommodate his large size, Rolf had paid a carpenter friend to build a set of chairs and a table that would both suit him and his wife well. The extra-high table and its tall chairs filled up the small dining room space adjacent to the kitchen. Kevin had noticed, months earlier, that one of the two living room couches was significantly higher off the ground than most couches.

Kevin’s 1.62 meter (5’4”), brunette sister, Svenja, emerged from the kitchen carrying a glass pan filled with potatoes. She set the pan down on some oven mittens, on the tall table. Then, smiling, she gave her older brother a brief hug across the back. “It’s good to see you again, brother. I want to introduce you to our house guest.”

(Some conversions between
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Svenja reentered the kitchen and came out with a middle-aged, slim German lady. She had long, red hair drawn into a ponytail and appeared to be in her late forties.

“This is Tamara, the lady who is staying with us,” Svenja said.

Kevin smiled politely as Svenja looked at Tamara and said, “And, this is my older brother Kevin.”

Tamara nodded and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Kevin.”

“The same here. How have you enjoyed your stay?” Kevin said.

“Your sister and brother-in-law are very gracious to me, even though I am homeless,” Tamara said, glancing at Svenja.

“I’ve heard that the government provides free housing for widows and also has many programs for employment,” Kevin said, trying to be helpful. ‘I wonder why she is homeless,’ he thought to himself. ‘In the Communist Republic of Germany, very few people are truly homeless.’

“I can’t rely on the government. I must rely on my Father,” Tamara said calmly.

“What do you mean by that?” Kevin said. “If your father is helping you, why aren’t you living with him?”

“The Father I am speaking of is not a human. He is my Creator and my best Friend,” Tamara said.

“God is your Father?” Kevin said. That concept was foreign to him. He had known that Christians worshiped God and served Him in their church services, but the idea of God being a best Friend and a Father was beyond anything Kevin would have thought possible.

“Yes,” Tamara said. “He hears my prayers, He answers them, He protects me, and he guides me. He was the one who led your sister to find me, I believe.”

That sounded very foreign to Kevin. The idea that God was so personal and caring of people was strange in his mind. His own father, Felix, a lawyer, had usually been very busy with his work and had often come home late in the evenings.

“Hmm,” Kevin said, thoughtful.

There was a pause of a few seconds before, Tamara said, “Kevin, do you have physical problems that bother you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I felt that I should ask. Do you?” Tamara said.

“Well, I walk with a slight limp,” Kevin said.

“Would you like God to heal you so you won’t have to walk with a limp?” Tamara said, smiling.

“Sure, I guess so. Yes,” Kevin said.

Tamara stood where she was and closed her eyes. Then, she opened them after a few seconds and pointed her right hand toward Kevin’s feet. “In the Almighty name of Jesus Christ, who healed the sick and lame, and still does, I command your limp foot to be healed,” she said firmly. “It is by Jesus Christ’s power that you will be whole and well.”

Kevin blinked twice. He didn’t understand who Jesus really was, but he noticed something about his foot. The mild irritation that he had lived with was gone in his left foot. So, he began walking around the apartment and immediately noticed that his left foot did not walk with a limp. There was no discomfort at all. Then, excited, he walked down the hallway and back a couple times. ‘The limp is completely gone,’ he thought, amazed.

With eyes opened wide, Kevin said, “Did you really just heal my limp? How?”

“Kevin,” Tamara said, “Jesus is the one who healed you. I did nothing to heal you. I just agreed with Jesus that your feet should be healed by His power, and He healed you. About 2,000 years ago, Jesus healed the blind, crippled, leprous, and diseased people of the Middle East. But, Jesus told us, His followers, that we are to release His power to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demonic spirits… in Jesus Christ’s name.”

“I had that limp ever since I injured my foot while out hiking with some friends four years ago,” Kevin said. “This is amazing. My foot is whole. So, Jesus healed me. Wow. This is awesome.”

“Would you like to know Jesus Christ in a personal way?” Tamara asked.

“Yes. He healed me. Why shouldn’t I?” Kevin said excitedly.

“Would you like to be saved from your sins and have eternal life?” Tamara said.

“Yes.”

Tamara then explained the Gospel to Kevin and how Jesus Christ, being God he Son, had become a man to die on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago. She explained that by doing so, Jesus offers eternal life to all who believe in Him, and who have made Him their personal Savior and Lord. [Read about salvation through Jesus at this link here.]

Then, Kevin prayed and asked Jesus to become his Lord and Savior. He felt something change. His slight feeling of depression began to lift, and he began to feel joy entering his soul. It was not the elation of winning a contest, but it was a type of joy full of peace and warmth. ‘God really is my Father and Savior, for Jesus Christ is one with God the Father,’ Kevin thought. That is something Kevin had heard a Christian say once, but now he realized it is true.

Turning to Svenja, Tamara said, “Would you be interested in knowing Jesus as your best friend, your Savior, and Lord?”

“I go to the Lutheran church with my husband on every Sunday morning service,” Svenja said. “So, I must be a Christian.”

“But, do you actually know Jesus personally?” Tamara said to Svenja.

“The food will soon be getting cold if we don’t start eating,” Svenja said, before walking over to the kitchen sink to wash her hands.

Kevin and Tamara glanced at each other and Kevin shrugged his shoulders. Then, he walked briskly over to the table and climbed into a chair, using a built-in step to mount it. Rolf sat down in a seat to his left and Tamara sat to his right.

“I’m glad to hear that you are a believer in Jesus Christ,” Rolf said, looking at Kevin. “I am one too. Jesus is also my best Friend. I haven’t talked much about it to you because I didn’t know where your allegiance stood. But, I regret not telling you sooner. I became a true follower of Jesus a year ago, after reading a Gospel tract left on a park bench.”

Suddenly, a knock came at the door and Kevin flinched slightly. Now, he was a Christian. He knew that Christians received persecution and that if they were caught, they might be sent to a concentration camp simply for not being a member of a state-approved church. He was also concerned about Tamara. She was a Christian. And, since she was not receiving ration credits, it was clear to Kevin that she was likely a non-conformist Christian; a Christian who didn’t attend any state-approve churches, and who partook in banned activities, such as sharing the Gospel.

The knocking continued.

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Maritza in the Nature Preserve

Maritza was sitting on a park bench, watching ducks swimming and quacking in a large pond, which was lined with bushy wayfaring trees. Ducks rested on the banks of the pond, hiding under the shelter of bushes and oak trees. Ten meters from the bench, a bike path ran past the pond and zigzagged through small, wooded hills.

An intermediate stream of joggers, walkers, and cyclists passed back and forth along the paved trail. As she watched ducks swimming and frolicking in the pond, Maritza thought about her parents and longed to see them in Heaven. She talked with God and prayed for the underground Church and for the salvation of the unsaved.

As she was praying, the evil, blond-haired man carefully inched his way through some dense bushes on the opposite side of the pond from where Maritza was sitting. Wolf was trying to avoid making the bushes rustle or wave as he crept forward. Wearing dark green trousers and a long-sleeve, camouflage-patterned shirt, he mostly blended in with his surroundings.

The blond-haired man loved his corrupt occupation. Wolf would snap photos of people he suspected could be underground Christians, and then have his team track them down to kidnap them. Non-conformist Christians were a brand of people he relished capturing because the communist government of the new Germany would pay a month’s wages in cash for a single non-conformist Christian turned in.

Wolf pulled out his smartphone with its attached telephoto lens and focused it on Maritza, who was still sitting in a bench across the pond from him. He was just about ready to snap a photo of her face when he heard laughing coming from behind him. Surprised and annoyed, he turned to see children running through the bushes several meters from him, playing a game of tag. He cursed and swore under his breath. Then, an eight-year-old boy threw a lump of mud at a friend. It missed the boy and sailed over a bush, striking the face of the blond-haired crook. Splat!

He felt like cursing and taking out his rage, but as he started to quickly walk forward, he tripped on a protruding tree root and fell face first into some deep, watery mud not far from the edge of the pond. Wolf's body, from his face to his shoes, and the front of his shirt and trousers were all covered in a couple centimeters of dripping, brown slop.

He tried to wipe it from his face, but realized, with great embarrassment and frustration, that he would only make his face just as dirty. ‘Is this what I get for trying to do my job?’ Wolf thought before shoving his mud-covered phone into his pocket.

 

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Rolf and Svenja’s Apartment

The knocking continued, so Rolf excused himself from the table. Reaching the hallway, he headed down it with long strides. At the end of the hall, he bent down to look through the spy hole in his door. Kevin hopped from the chair and cautiously approached the side of the living room near the hallway. Then, he stopped and held his breath to listen. He didn’t risk poking his head around the corner, lest he be seen.

The door squeaked open and Rolf’s deep voice came echoing down the hallway, saying, “Good evening, Reiner. What can I do for you?”

A medium-sized, bearded man with a pointy nose, thick eyebrows, and black, thick-framed glasses stood outside the door. His brown, wavy hair was combed back, but tangled portions of his hair poked out from the otherwise orderly waves, giving him a unique appearance.

“Rolf,” Reiner said. “I just want to tell you that I went over to pick up my mail and I saw someone who wasn’t a postal employee slip something into your mailbox.”

“What did he look like?” Rolf said, bending down to look at his neighbor with a frown on his face.

“He was wearing a dark blue jacket and black trousers,” Reiner said. “He appeared to be German or Austrian and he had short, dark brown hair. He was clean-shaven. I’ve never seen him before.”

“Did you see where he went?” Rolf asked, bending over more to make sure he caught every word.

“I saw him walk down the street until he reached the intersection between Ulme Street and Schuster Avenue,” Reiner said. “Then, he took a left. I decided to tell you as soon as I entered the building.”

“Thank you for the information,” Rolf said.

“I wonder if he is trying to give you a letter containing a toxic powder or something like that,” Reiner said with concern in his voice before adjusting his thick-framed glasses. “Do you have enemies that seek to do you harm?”

“Not that I know of,” Rolf said, truthfully.

“Well, I better get back to my wife. She’ll be wondering where I am,” Reiner said.

Rolf thanked him again and they parted ways. Then, he closed the door and locked it. Sighing, Rolf turned and hurried back toward the living room. Seeing his wife and two guests, the tall man said, “Folks, we have some trouble.”

He proceeded to explain the conversation, in case they didn’t catch what was said. Kevin had heard most of what was said, but had missed a few of Reiner’s words, here and there. When the women heard the news, Svenja trembled with fear and blinked several times.

Svenja stuttered, “S-someone p-put an object in our mailbox… s-someone who w-wasn’t a mail deliverer.”

“I will look into it,” Rolf said, “but first, I need to call a friend I met a month ago.”

“But,” Svenja said, “how can you trust that person?”

“Darling, he is a non-conformist Christian, and I know that he is very trustworthy,” Rolf said as he walked over to the master bedroom and opened the door.

“I need to seek God about this,” Tamara said to Svenja before she entered the kitchen, leaving Svenja and Kevin in the living room.

Kevin suddenly felt some fear attacking him. Could his sister be in danger? He didn’t know what to make of the strange event, but he was very curious. Tamara emerged from the kitchen, after only a minute had passed. She drew Svenja close to the kitchen and whispered something into her ear that Kevin couldn’t pick up.

Then, Svenja and Tamara had a hushed conversation, which lasted two minutes, before Tamara turned and headed toward the guest bedroom. She emerged a short time later with a medium-sized, black backpack, which was fairly stuffed and was now wearing a warm, white waterproof jacket and a purple stocking cap. She walked up to Kevin. As she exited from the room, Svenja approached her.

“Kevin, Svenja, I am leaving,” Tamara said, looking at both of them with a smile. “God is showing me where to go next and that I must leave very soon, but I will try to keep in contact with you by way of the ‘network.’ Thank you, Svenja, for being such a good host. You have been a real blessing to let me stay at your house, even though you are aware of the dangers. May God lead you into the truth and shine His light upon you.”

Then, she turned to Kevin and said, “I am so glad to have met you and to have seen you receive Jesus Christ. I have something for you.”

Tamara reached into a pocket, in her baggy, purple trousers, and drew out a small, leather-bound book. Placing it into Kevin’s hand, she said, “This is a special book. Many have given their lives to see it published all over the world. I encourage you to read this book every day, and you will grow spiritually, and you will see how amazing God truly is.”

“What is it?” Kevin asked.

“Read it, and you will see,” Tamara said, mysteriously with a smile.

Then, she waved good bye and left. The front door creaked open and closed with a light thump. Svenja walked down the hall and locked the door seconds later.

“I wonder where Tamara is headed to?” Kevin said, looking at his sister, who stood near the door.

“I don’t know, but she seems to know where to go,” Svenja said, peeking through the spy hole in the door.

Just then, the door of the master bedroom opened and Rolf emerged, holding a smartphone. Svenja turned and made her way back to the living room.

“Who did you talk to? What did they say about the situation?” Svenja said, full of curiosity.

“Hans, told me that God showed him it would be okay for me to check the mail,” Rolf said. “He follows God’s voice, and God speaks to him, so I trust his judgment. I would like to talk with God and hear from Him better myself. But… I’ll check the mail now. So, I’ll be right back.”

He hurried down the hallway and out the door, shutting it hard behind him.

Svenja looked at Kevin, her brother, wondering what might happen next. But, he was interested in the book Tamara had given him. So, he sat down on a couch and began flipping through the pages of the compact volume. He stopped at a place where he read: ‘And the thickness of it was an hand breadth, and the brim of …’ (2 Chronicles 4:5.)

Then, he flipped to a place where he saw some interesting words: ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.’ (Psalm 91:1.) Those words seemed to leap off the page at him and he felt some peace enter into his heart as he dwelled on them.

Rap. Rap. Rap. Suddenly, a loud knock came at the door. It startled him, and Kevin almost dropped the book. He placed it in his back pocket and started toward the front door. The loud knocking continued. Rap. Rap. Rap.

His sister excused herself as she quickly walked past him. Then, as she reached the door, she peeked through the spy hole again, and quickly turned back toward Kevin, with some fear in her eyes.

She whispered loudly, “It’s the secret police.”

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CLICK HERE FOR CHAPTER 3.

AN EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 3 ("Being Pursued"):

'... With her heart beating fast, Svenja opened her apartment door, revealing two men dressed in dark, zipped-up jackets, tan or black tactical trousers, and black boots. Each had a short haircut and a grim expression on his face. To Kevin, who stood beside his sister, they looked tough, but professional.

“You are Mrs. Berger, I presume?” a stocky man with short sideburns and dark-blond hair said. ...'