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The Adventures of Kevin Krämer in Communist Europe
- The Escape from Communist Europe -
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.
_________________________
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.
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| (The entire story is in a complete PDF file which can be read at this link on Google Drive. I make no money from this story. It is entirely free.) |
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 landmass. At one time, it had a communistic past. During a third world war, communism revived in this country as its 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.]
[Note: Baltania is a fictional country within the Eurasian landmass. At one time, it had a communistic past. During a third world war, communism revived in this country as its 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.]
Chapter 4
"Making an Important Decision"
(Click here to open a list of links to chapters.
Right click the link and select "Open link in new tab.")
Right click the link and select "Open link in new tab.")
___________________
Kevin’s Apartment in Kühnburg
“So, you’re going to just
ditch us and hang out with some other friends?” Dietmar’s slightly frustrated
voice came through Kevin’s smartphone speaker.
“Well…” Kevin started to say
as he walked toward a dark green recliner in his bedroom.
“Come on, man,” Dietmar said,
interrupting him. “Be true to your word. You said you were planning on coming
to my house on Saturday to play some of my new multiplayer, VR games. I invited
your roommate, Heinrich, and two other guys. They all said they were coming. It’s
going to be a fun time. You can’t just drop out like that, man.”
“Dietmar, I think VR
technology is kind of fun,” Kevin said, “but I want to get some fresh air, and
not be cooped up in a house. You guys can play without me. You know I’m not
into VR nearly as much as you are.”
“I know I said I’d come to
check out your new VR games on Saturday,” Kevin said, “but what if I came
today, instead of on Saturday? You could show me your games today. How about
that?”
“Okay, I guess I could. But,
I can only play them with you for two-and-a-half hours,” Dietmar said.
“That is long enough for me,”
Kevin said. “When should I come over?”
“You can come as soon as you
want. I’m at my apartment now. I just got back from work.”
“Okay. I’m coming over right
away,” Kevin said.
They ended the conversation
and Kevin sighed as he set his phone on a lamp stand. He sat forward and rubbed
his eyes. Kevin didn’t feel like checking out VR games at that moment, having
seen the secret police question his sister. But, he didn’t want to lose his
friends. So, he decided he’d go. He stood up from his recliner, which occupied
one corner of his room, and stretched.
Something in his spirit didn’t
feel peaceful or right about the thought of going to Dietmar’s apartment, but
he ignored it and walked toward his bedroom door. Out in the living room, he
saw Heinrich setting down a backpack. Kevin realized that his apartment roommate
must have just gotten back from work. The digital clock on their oven displayed
the time: 5:32 PM.
“Heinrich, would you like to
go over to Dietmar’s house to play some VR games today?” Kevin said.
Heinrich was a husky, 28-year-old
man with a long, curled-up mustache, a chin beard, and a unique hairdo. The
hair on the sides of his head was shaved bald and the hair on top was long,
reaching down to his shoulders. His green T-shirt had a stylized picture of a
man wearing VR headgear with the slogan ‘VR is my life’ below it.
“That would be fun, Kevin,”
Heinrich said. “Let’s go. I’ll just grab my gear and a bite to eat, and we’ll
be off.”
___________________
Dietmar’s Apartment in Kühnburg
“Welcome, Kevin, Heinrich,”
Dietmar said, grinning as he opened his apartment door. The moderately muscular
man wore a short, brown beard, jeans, and a T-shirt. A noticeable tattoo
appeared on his neck, depicting a dragon breathing fire. His dark-brown,
combed-back hair was short on the sides and longish on top.
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| (Some conversions between metric units and English-system units) Right click the picture and select "Open link in new tab." |
Following Dietmar, the two
roommates entered an apartment that could best be described as a “gamer cave.”
After passing through the apartment hallway, they entered the living room,
which was filled with newer video game consoles, wide-screen TVs, and old
Nintendo consoles from the 1990s. Several posters from movies released in the
last three years were tacked to his living room walls. Like confetti, potato
chips and cookie crumbs were scattered over his couch and on his floor, along
with a few opened bags of chips.
Dietmar kicked a crushed
aluminum soda can out of his way as he approached a wooden cabinet and opened a
glass door. He reached in and drew out three virtual reality (VR) headsets,
which came with built-in, high-definition headphones. He handed one to Kevin
and one to Heinrich, but Heinrich said, as he lowered a backpack to the ground,
“I brought my own gear.”
“What kind of VR headset do
you have?” Dietmar said, curious.
“Symphony Genesis 2020
virtual reality goggles and their accompanying headphones. They cost me a day’s
wages,” Heinrich said, feeling proud of himself.
“I think you’ll like my new
Horizon Gate 2022 VR headsets,” Dietmar said, looking at Kevin. With pride in
his voice, he added, “And, each headset cost me four days wages. They have the
highest definition possible at this time, and the sound quality is superior to
other headsets.”
“I’ll have to see it to
believe it,” Heinrich said as he grabbed one of Dietmar’s VR headsets, placed
the bulky visor over his eyes, and adjusted the headband for a comfortable fit.
Then, he flipped the headphones down over his ears and pressed a power button
on the top of the visor.
[Note: All the VR video
games and VR headsets in this story have fictional names, but similar
technology is sold today. In the future, the technology will likely be
significantly more realistic than it is today.]
“You forgot the haptic
gloves,” Dietmar said as he placed a pair of black gloves in Heinrich’s hands.
“Thanks,” Heinrich said as he
slipped them on.
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| (Click on this link to read brief descriptions about some of the characters from this novel.) |
“What do you think of this?”
Dietmar’s voice came through Kevin’s headphones, to his left.
He turned to his left to see
a wizard wearing an iron breastplate and carrying a broadsword and a shield.
The wizard was middle-aged but very muscular. His conical, wide-brimmed hat and
dark, pointy beard gave away his identity as a sorcerer. Kevin let out a low
whistle of amazement. The wizard looked nearly like a real person.
“Dietmar, your character
looks life-like. It’s hard to determine that this is just a video game,” Kevin
said, amazed.
“Yes, but now my name is
Dragonskull,” Dietmar said. “I am a knight and a powerful sorcerer who
possesses the mystic sphere of Lucifer.”
Hearing the words sorcerer
and mystic sphere of Lucifer made Kevin feel uneasy. He had
remembered hearing that sorcery was actually practiced by real witches. And,
Lucifer was just another name for Satan, the devil. Just the other day, Kevin
had seen a man carrying a book of spells under his arm. The man had emerged
from an occult bookstore just as Kevin was walking down the street on his way
to a grocery store.
Kevin believed that people
practicing witchcraft did so because it actually worked. They were not playing
games when they contacted the devil and other familiar spirits. But, doing so
was absolutely self-destructive.
Kevin remembered his grandpa
telling him how a verse in the Bible said: ‘[9] When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. [10] There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, [11] Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.’ (Deuteronomy 18:9-11.)
“Okay. Well, what does my
character look like?” Kevin said, swallowing, trying to ignore the guilt he was
feeling.
“Just say ‘game options’ and
a display will appear,” Dietmar said.
Kevin did so. In the middle
of the air, an old-looking scroll materialized and unfurled. It displayed
options such as sound, video format, character traits, etc. He reached out his
hand, which appeared as a normal hand, and pressed the ‘character traits’
option on the scroll. Instantly, the scroll displayed a video image of Kevin’s
character. The character was a tough-looking man with a short, red beard who
wore a medieval Norman helmet, carried a long shield, and had a sheathed sword
in its scabbard. The medieval soldier’s appearance was so realistic that Kevin
almost thought he was looking at a real human being.
Kevin exited out of the
scroll display and the parchment vanished into thin air. Then, he turned to his
right and saw Heinrich’s character, who was an ancient Samurai warrior armed
with two katana swords.
“The characters look like
real men,” Kevin said. “This is amazing Dietmar. These are the best graphics I’ve
ever seen in a VR game.”
“You haven’t seen anything
yet,” Dietmar said.
Deitmar then proceeded to
lead Kevin and Heinrich on a quest through a fantasy land. They fought off
enormous trolls, dragons, and “evil” wizards. Dietmar’s character cast spells
and worked sorcery to magically kill powerful enemies. Points were gained,
which Dietmar said could be traded for better weapons, armor, and magic powers,
such as levitation.
As the game progressed, and
as Kevin witnessed Dietmar’s character practice sorcery, he felt very guilty
and uneasy about what they were doing.
“Would you like to borrow my
magic wand?” Dietmar said as his wizard “avatar” approached Kevin’s character,
holding out a long, black stick. Dietmar had just magically destroyed a giant,
hideous ogre.
Kevin felt himself tremble
with guilt and discomfort. He hesitated for several tense seconds, feeling his
heart pounding in his chest. The feeling of conviction that he was doing
something wrong was growing on him, and he knew he was doing something that was
spiritually harmful to him. Then, Kevin physically removed his VR headset and
exhaled. He pulled off the haptic gloves and dropped them on the floor.
“Would you like to use the
wand?” Dietmar asked again.
Kevin saw his friend standing
three meters from him, wearing the VR equipment. Dietmar’s gloved hand was
outstretched in Kevin’s general direction with his fingers grasping an imaginary
wand.
“Dietmar,” Kevin said. “I can’t
keep playing this game. I need to go.”
But, Dietmar didn’t hear him.
His headphones had good insulation, and the game sounds and music were very
crisp and clear.
After a couple moments,
Dietmar removed his headset and stared at Kevin with a questioning look. “What
are you doing? You didn’t respond to me, and you left your character without
putting him on pause.”
“I have to go now,” Kevin
said as he grabbed his backpack. “I’ve probably spent too much time here
already.”
“Do you have something
against magic wands, Kevin?” Dietmar said with some bewilderment.
“Yes,” Kevin said before
turning away from his friend.
“Why?” Dietmar said, raising
an eyebrow.
“I have to go now,” Kevin
said somewhat tersely. With that, he walked down Dietmar’s hallway and opened
the apartment door. Before Dietmar could follow him and try to pressure him to
stay, Kevin shut the door behind him and found himself once more in the
third-floor corridor. He walked briskly down the hallway and arrived at the
stairwell.
After quickly descending the
steps, and pushing through a door, he was outside again. It was dark and the
night sky was filled with pinpoints of light which shimmered like jewels
resting on black velvet. His electric hybrid bicycle was chained to a bike
stand. As he unlocked it, Kevin thought about how glad he was to have left the
apartment and the virtual reality world. He did not really enjoy the games
Dietmar had shown him over the past year. At first, they seemed exciting to
play, but Deitmar had felt something pulling on him and calling out to him to
leave the world’s ways and to leave computer games. Now, that pull was
stronger.
And, Deitmar was beginning to
wonder if God were tugging at his heart. Hearing that his friend wanted him to
cast spells with a magic wand was too much for Kevin, who had been feeling
conviction that he should stop playing the VR game ever since he had first
started playing it that evening. He knew he had to leave and never again play
any more VR games. Along with that knowledge, Kevin had a strong desire to seek
his Creator God and know God personally.
“My son, I am the Lord your
God and Abba Father,” a calm, quiet voice spoke to Kevin’s spirit and soul. Kevin
instinctively looked up and turned left and right to see who the speaker was.
Then, he felt a peaceful presence standing beside him. God’s voice continued,
saying, “The video games that your friends have been playing are not honoring
to Me. I want you to know that most video games are harmful to those who play
them, especially those which promote violence, crime, sexual content, and
criminal behaviors.
“Most video games are worldly
and evil, and they dishonor Me and harm those who play them. I want My
Church to know how evil these games are and that they must stop playing them,
whether they are virtual reality games, or not. You are precious to Me, My
son, Kevin. I will guide you in what to say to your friends if they ask you
about leaving. I will lead you into all truth. Now, it would be good for you to
get to your apartment. And, I the Lord your God and Abba Father have spoken.”
“God, you’re speaking with
me?” Kevin said, still looking around.
“Yes, My son, Kevin, I am,”
God’s loving voice said. “You may rest and know that I will never leave you,
nor forsake you. And, I the Lord your God and Abba Father have spoken.”
_ _ _ _
[Note: 2 Corinthians
6:14-18 and 2 Cor. 7:1 both speak of coming out from worldly things
and breaking ties with worldly people and their sins.]
[God promises to never
leave us nor forsake us in such Bible references as Hebrews 13:5,
Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:20, Psalm 91, Psalm 23, and
elsewhere.]
[God also promises to meet
all our needs, including having intimate fellowship with Him. See 1 John
1:3-8, 1 Corinthians 1:9, John 17:3, John 15:9-11, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 36:7-9,
and elsewhere.]
_ _ _ _
“Wow. This is awesome to be
talking with God, the Creator of the universe. I will obey you, dear Father
God. This is amazing that you’re speaking with me,” Kevin said.
“My son, I want all My
children to be able to hear Me like this,” God’s loving voice said. “Now, go
and head to your home. And, I the Lord your God and Abba Father have spoken.”
With a joy in his heart he
had never known before, Kevin hopped onto his bike and pedaled off down a
sidewalk and then onto a street. He knew that by 10:30 a curfew would be in
place, so he had to hurry. Police would give two official warnings before they
would give curfew breakers a significant fine. Each warning was entered into an
internet database along with the curfew breaker’s name, which was linked to all
information about that individual.
A minute after Kevin had
left, Dietmar emerged from the building and allowed the door to automatically
close behind him. He looked at the bike rack briefly before he pulled out his
cell phone and made a call.
When the party on the other
end had answered, Dietmar said, “I think there might be someone of interest to
us…”
___________________
AN EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 5 ("The Secret Meeting"):
'... Several more miles passed before Rolf slowed the car and turned the blue Delta Solarstorm sedan onto a dirt road, to the right. He drove down the winding dirt road past rotting logs and pillar-like trees for 305 meters before he came to a solid, metal gate which spanned the width of the road.
He drove off to the side of the road, parked, and shut the engine off. The doors opened and all three occupants climbed out of the Delta Solarstorm. Kevin was glad to have fresh air and the freedom to stand up straight. He stretched his arms and yawned. Once he finished, he caught sight of someone or something in the bushes a little over 9 meters from him. His heartbeat quickened as he tried to determine what he was seeing. ‘Could this be a member of the secret police?’
Before he could decide whether he should run or just stay put, the bushes began to move and a man stood up. ...'
He drove off to the side of the road, parked, and shut the engine off. The doors opened and all three occupants climbed out of the Delta Solarstorm. Kevin was glad to have fresh air and the freedom to stand up straight. He stretched his arms and yawned. Once he finished, he caught sight of someone or something in the bushes a little over 9 meters from him. His heartbeat quickened as he tried to determine what he was seeing. ‘Could this be a member of the secret police?’
Before he could decide whether he should run or just stay put, the bushes began to move and a man stood up. ...'
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