Chapter One
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12”
When the evil leaders were in control of governing the ghost towns, there was chaos and destruction. People did not know why these cities were called “ghost towns” even though they lived within them. Nor did they know that these ghost towns were strategically placed here on earth.
Anthony Markson was called by the Holy Spirit, or, as He is called by His soldiers and disciples, The Elite Commander, to seek out and locate normal people on the edge of death. Anthony himself was called and rescued from death to serve a higher cause for The Elite Commander.
He was to rescue those without hope, bringing them to the Lord, and lead them on an incredible quest.
By following the directions of The Elite Commander, he started locating these people, but did not know at that time that these people were going to be part of an elite crew of warriors.
After being chosen, Anthony was given the name “Warrior.” He fought evil entities and took part in many spiritual battles, enabling him to conquer each one of the new members of the team.
Endowed with a great power that was also a great burden, he started chasing after his targets with unrelenting persistence, locating them one by one. Fighting the demons that entangled their souls, and freeing them from their chains of slavery.
Once free, The Elite Commander started naming each new member, officially making them part of the ever-expanding team. Their continued search for others was accomplished with a higher purpose in mind.
As time passed by, eventually the team found and fostered, a lost soul called Erin Ludwig. Erin, a white female whose skin had yellow undertones, stood at around 5’7”. She had lovely brown eyes with gold flecks and a heart-shaped face. She had a sharp, beautiful smile, and her body was sinewy and strong from daily work-outs, supported by willowy legs of solid muscle.
Erin was a nurse, but she would unknowingly become Anthony Markson’s partner in future epic battles. Anthony Markson would soon be known as Warrior, and Erin would grow to become Mender, both names given to them by The Elite Commander.
But while working as a nurse in one of the local hospitals, Erin had already been fighting spiritually on her own. One day, when Anthony was visiting the hospital, attempting to locate one of his first targets, she saw a light in him that inspired her to call him “Brother.”
A dangerous situation arose when a patient pulled a gun and threatened the other staff members. Erin was present, and she strongly encouraged the patient to hand over the weapon in Jesus’s name.
Anthony was perplexed by the command in her voice and thought for a moment that Erin would make an excellent addition to the team; but he had yet to secure another member of the team that he was there fighting to save. After the incident, Anthony met Mr. and Mrs. Michael Reeves, for whose lives he would fight for as a warrior, bringing them to the Lord in the process.
When the team was almost complete, they received an order from The Elite Commander to secure six main ghost towns.
Each one of the towns was commanded by an evil leader and his associate. These two leaders were working for the great boss of evil, the one managing all the towns from an unknown location.
Each evil leader had a demon assigned to them, and although these demons were mere puppets in the kingdom of darkness, they were fully aware of their position, and took full advantage of the evil commander’s lives. When the leaders needed more power they would call out to their demons, fusing with them, becoming something else, something very powerful; something ready to kill and destroy.
One day while on a non-authorized expedition into a ghost town called Slattersville, the team was rushed and decimated by the evil spirits governing the town. They ended up at the hospital where the nurse, Erin Ludwig, was working. Beaten and thrashed, the team conducted a prayer meeting in their hospital room, wherein The Elite Commander called Erin Ludwig to serve, changing her name to Mender. She was going to be part of the team. A team dedicated to fighting evil forces in spiritual realms, and demons that were visible to spiritual eyes only, and not to human eyes.
After their defeat, the team needed guidance and training in order to learn how to use their new spiritual powers bestowed upon them by The Lord, enhancing their ability to fight against demons and spiritual forces.
There was an ancient warrior watching them from a distance while they walked into a trap the evil spirits had prepared for them. This ancient warrior possessed an assortment of knowledge about spiritual battles and fighting demons. He had left that kind of life in the past after losing his whole family in an unexplainable accident. He knew it was evil forces that took his family, but he was compelled to put his weapon down for good.
His name was Daniel Samuels, or as he had been known back then, The Emissary. The Elite Commander called him back to work, to train the newly formed team of warriors, before they embarked on a great and dangerous adventure.
They were all trained by The Emissary, who taught them to use their new ability; the transformation technique that would turn them into Knight Warriors of The Elite Commander. In this state, they would receive Gifts of the Spirit, enabling them to fight battles and win them for the Lord.
After their training was completed, The Elite Commander paired the team members and sent them into the six towns to conquer and deliver them from the hands of evil leaders and commanders. These six towns were placed strategically across the state of Ohio, effectively keeping it under the reign of evil.
The Elite Commander paired Anthony Markson, who had become known as Warrior with Erin Ludwig, who was now known as Mender, and sent them into the town of Knockemstiff. Mender’s power is represented by the number 8, which she often keeps it concealed from others because it presents her as weaker than most of the other members of the team.
They were ordered to fight the evil leader Assassin and his associate Poisson Dagger.
Assassin, once known as Koroshiya San, was the strongest ranked, at #1, among the evil commanders. He towered above all other men and his voice resounded as thunder when he taunted and mocked his opponents. He was brash and irreverent, taking great pride in his strengths and abilities to strike terror into the hearts of his enemies. His one goal was conquest. His demon is called Malphas, and when fused together, they are practically invincible.
The second in command at Knockemstiff is Poisson Dagger, who is also known as Garnet Dukes. A Spanish descendant and samurai warrior raised in Japan, Dukes entered the States, immediately establishing his legacy as a ruthless and cruel individual with a heart that was hardened against all things good and decent. He fuses himself with the demon named Eligos. He ranks at number 7 in power. As it is with the Warriors, the lower the number of their rank, the stronger the demon.
Warrior and Mender were sent to conquer Knockemstiff, and they fought in great battles. In the end, they used their special training to win the spiritual battle and triumph over the evil forces. The two evil leaders, Assassin, his demon, Malphas, and Poisson Dagger and his demon, Eligos, were defeated.
The town now belongs to the Lord and the conquerors of the ghost town were Warrior and Mender. They became The Evangelism Team while working on this town, preaching and healing others with the help of the two warriors and their gifts.
Knockemstiff was a somber town, one that nobody wanted to enter without proper introduction. The lurking darkness surrounding the town had turned it into a ghost town. Most of the people, the good people, left the town a long time ago, and now only a few good ones remained. They felt a deep loyalty to Knockemstiff because it was the town of their ancestors. Most of the other remaining population were stricken with a love of vice and evil, and were controlled by demon forces and evil spirits.
It was a land of nobodies, but there was something hidden in the town as well, something that no one except one man was aware of.
“Warrior,” said Mender, very concerned, “We have been preaching and teaching for a long time in this town with most of the people coming to the Lord; but still, whenever one pronounces the town’s name, Knockemstiff, it sounds as if darkness itself were vocalized. I think we should pray about this name and see what The Elite Commander has to say. What do you think?”
“Well, actually, I have been thinking about that very thing lately.” replied Warrior. “I remember that, when the Lord calls someone, He changes his name into something excellent, like how I became Warrior. Remember reading in the Bible how the Lord changed the names of evil ones, cheaters, and wrongdoers into something special?
Warrior continued, “I also remember the case of Abram, for when the Lord God Almighty changed his name into Abraham, it was a glorious sign of his ascension. I think the same thing needs to happen with this city. Let us discuss it with The Evangelism Team later, but in the meantime let us pray about this name.”
When they approached The Evangelism Team, told them of their concerns about the name of the town, they all began thinking about the meaning of that name. They became convinced it should be changed, but praying was the only way to get true answers and anything done in this town now. Before, it was evil, and now it is about lifting up in prayer, because the team of The Elite Commander is present.