Hermit: A Novel

In the perfect darkness, Jackson concentrated on slowing his breathing. The indescribable pain penetrating every inch of his body, the sounds of gunfire, the shouting in Arabic. He closed out each distraction until it took up only a small part of his awareness. As his panting calmed to deep breaths, the Ranger focused on what he knew. The sounds of chaos were getting closer. "Process what you hear, son," Jackson thought of his dad's words. A U.S. Special Forces soldier like him, his father had served his country well as a Ranger trained in survival preparation. Between the Army's training and his father's, there was little that Jackson couldn't endure. Explosions rocked the little cell deep in the bunker of what he had determined to be an abandoned tenement. Dust and rocks fell onto Jackson's head and shoulders. He sat up despite the broken wrists, shoulder blade, collar bone, ribs, and right femur. What wasn't broken screamed in pain as if it were about to snap. He had to be in a good position to discern what was happening, so he sat quietly gritting his teeth. Three explosions in rapid succession opened a large crack above him and a single shaft of light shot down, along with small pieces of rubble and choking dust. Jackson barely registered the final two blasts. A single, high-pitched ringing filled his head. He shook it to clear the sound and shake off the rubble, then he looked up as he registered a few errant gunshots. As footsteps approached outside his cell door, Jackson curled into a ball out of the stream of light. As human beings, we were created for community. We are vulnerable when we are alone. There's strength in numbers. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. This is just as true for us spiritually as it is physically. God never intended us to "fly" alone, vulnerably isolated. We need relationships with each other for encouragement, refreshment, and growth. We have all had isolation at one time or another. This is the story of how one man survives isolation and his transformation back to reality.