The Woman In The Park | Shadows Of The Occult

The city park was quiet at night. Streetlights flickered like fading stars, their glow half-swallowed by the heavy darkness. A cool wind swept across the empty benches, rustling the brittle leaves, carrying with it the faint, metallic scent of rain.

No one noticed the figure sitting alone under the willow tree. She looked like a homeless woman—her hair matted, her clothes filthy, her face smeared with grime. People passed by without a second glance, their steps quickening as if their souls whispered, Do not linger here.

But she was no ordinary vagrant.

Her name was Chief Miriam Kadesh, the highest-ranking police official in the city—a woman celebrated as righteous, tough, incorruptible. She was respected in the day. But at night, in the shadows of this park, she walked in another world. A darker one. A world cloaked in whispers of blood oaths and demonic power.

She sat silently, waiting. Watching. Hunting.

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The First Encounter

Daniel, a young believer, often walked through the park after leaving the prayer meeting at a small Messianic congregation nearby. His heart burned with a desire to see revival in the city, and he would often recite aloud the words of the prophet Isaiah as he walked home:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you.” (Isaiah 43:2)

But tonight, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He felt something—like eyes drilling into him. He turned.

The “homeless woman” sat slouched on the bench, head bowed.

Daniel almost ignored her, but a strange tug in his spirit made him stop. “Shalom,” he said gently. “Do you need food?”

Slowly, she raised her head. Her eyes glowed faintly, unnaturally, like embers buried in ash. She smiled, but it was not a smile of gratitude—it was the smile of a predator.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” she whispered.

Daniel’s breath caught. His hands clenched into fists as he whispered under his breath, “Adonai is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Adonai is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).

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The Chief Revealed

The next morning, the city celebrated Chief Kadesh’s achievements. Cameras flashed as she cut a ribbon for a new community center. Her uniform gleamed, her speeches were filled with noble words, her smile was warm and commanding. None of the citizens clapping knew that just hours earlier, she had nearly ensnared a servant of Adonai in the park.

But Daniel knew. His spirit burned with warning. He remembered Messiah’s words:

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)

The Spirit whispered: This woman wears two faces.

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The Ritual

Late that night, Miriam descended into the basement of an abandoned courthouse. A circle of hooded figures awaited her, torches casting eerie shadows on the cracked walls. They greeted her with reverence—not as Chief of Police, but as their High Priestess.

On the altar before them lay symbols carved in blood. A silver dagger gleamed.

She raised her hands and chanted words in an ancient tongue. The air grew thick, almost suffocating. The temperature dropped. And as she spoke, the shadows themselves seemed to bend toward her in obedience.

“Tonight,” she declared, “we hunt the children of the Light. For the enemy of our master walks among us. His prayers are fire. His words are arrows. He must be silenced.”

The cult bowed low.

And Miriam’s mind filled with the image of Daniel.

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The Warning Dream

That night Daniel dreamt. He stood in a barren desert. The sky split with fire, and a voice thundered:

“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression.” (Isaiah 58:1)

Suddenly, he saw the police chief—not in uniform, not as a homeless woman—but clothed in scarlet, crowned with serpents, her eyes blazing with hatred.

Then he saw hands reaching for him—cold, clawed, suffocating. He awoke drenched in sweat, his Bible open beside him to Messiah’s words:

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28).

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The Trap

Two nights later, Daniel returned to the park, fasting and praying. He felt Adonai’s Spirit leading him back, though fear gnawed at him. As he approached the willow tree, the air seemed to shimmer with menace.

She was there again—the woman in rags.

“Why do you come back?” she hissed, her voice layered, echoing as though more than one being spoke through her.

Daniel gripped his small pocket Torah and whispered, “Adonai rebuke you.”

Her laughter pierced the silence. She rose slowly, and as she did, her ragged disguise seemed to peel away like ash in fire. For the first time, Daniel saw her true face under the moonlight—Miriam Kadesh, the celebrated police chief, her eyes burning with unholy fire.

She stepped toward him, shadows stretching unnaturally at her feet.

“You cannot stop me,” she said. “By day, I am justice. By night, I am power. And soon, the whole city will bow.”

The ground beneath them trembled. Somewhere in the distance, sirens wailed—but none were coming to save him.

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Cliffhanger Ending

Daniel’s heart pounded. He remembered Messiah’s words:

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

He opened his mouth to declare the Name above all names—but at that very moment, Miriam raised her dagger, its blade glinting with an otherworldly darkness.

The park lights flickered out.

The air split with a shriek not human.

And in the suffocating blackness, Daniel felt cold steel against his throat…

To be continued.