If I Could Save Just One

A Contemporary Christian Fiction Serial Story

Apr 11, 2025

man standing on rock during golden hour — Photo by Kyle Loftus on Unsplash

“Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed. Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.”

Proverbs 31:8-9, HCSB

The Blurb

What if you were just another statistic?

Jackal Bangs entered the list of statistics as a child when he became one of many foster kids who disappeared without a trace from the foster care system.

Or was it without a trace?

Jack soon found himself living at a hidden compound, spending his days in a secret lab being poked and prodded as one of many subjected to illegal biomedical experimentation. He was an ideal victim: unwanted, unnoticed, voiceless. Not everyone was there under the same circumstances; some had lives outside the lab, and their stories were like a match to tinder—he decided to fight, to never accept his lot . . . to be more than a statistic.

Now, at twenty-one, Jack’s finally made it out with the help of millionaire Taegan Silver and the widowed Eliza Samson. Taking a job as a bodyguard for Taegan’s antisocial son seems like the perfect way to lay low, but with his former captors seeking to silence his witness before it can get out, and surrounded by people who are passionate about standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves, Jack has to face his fears and find his faith . . . before it’s too late.

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’”

Romans 8:15, HCSB

Opening Cast of Characters

Jackal “Jack” Bangs, 21yo—Former foster kid, escaped victim of human trafficking for medical experimentation, coffee addict, hates sweets but loves savory foods, claustrophobic, doubts his intelligence and self-worth, loves animals, afraid to speak up about what he’s been through but equally afraid to stay silent, has never heard about Christ before meeting the Silvers, struggles with a mysterious illness and partial amnesia, eager to learn anything he can get his hands on but afraid of anyone noticing, thinks he will probably die if he doesn’t exercise his sarcasm multiple times each day.

Terrance “Trot” Silver, 16yo—Bookworm, raised Christian but struggles with his faith, can’t take a joke unless he’s expecting it (he never is) and puns drive him crazy, references movies and books constantly, prefers tea but drinks coffee more, guitarist with a half-baked interest and cringeworthy skill in learning the violin, is still processing the recent incarceration of his best friend, MMA student, never paid much attention to his dad’s work until Jack showed up.

Avery Silver, 19yo—Terrance’s sister, college student (mathematics major, theater minor), Christian with strong faith and even stronger opinions, saxophonist, “mom friend” and peer counselor, classic older sister who lives to boss, baby, love, and drive crazy her little brother, coffee connoisseur, inherited her dad’s sense of humor, not afraid to speak her mind, leader of her campus pro-life organization.

Taegan Silver, 47yo—Terrance and Avery’s dad, millionaire, successful businessman, budding conservative politician, devout Christian, advocate for life and warrior for the voiceless, active on the frontlines in anti-abortion and anti-human trafficking circles, he can play kazoo and recorder when forced but has no sense of rhythm and his family suspects he’s tone deaf.

Hallie Silver, 46yo—Terrance and Avery’s mom, classically trained pianist and singer, paragon of chaotic efficiency, with a heart as wide as her home state of Texas she would gladly adopt every orphan in the country, she has always been an equal partner in everything her husband puts his hand to and manages his business as efficiently as he does, met Taegan through his anti-trafficking work, is Taegan’s safe spot to break down when his work is too much to handle on his own.

Eliza Samson, 63yo—widow, friend of Taegan and Hallie, former nurse, devout Christian, has turned her home into a safe house for rescued victims of human trafficking, is everyone’s grandma (cookies included), and is devoted to bringing a little sunshine into every life she touches.

Curtis Hadley, 22yo—College student, wannabe FBI Agent, Torah-Observant Christian, Mixed Martial Artist with a blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, advocate for life and the voiceless, met the Silvers through a mutual friend who is now in prison, volunteer with any good ministry he can find and is always broke because he gives every spare dime away.

Disclaimers

This should go without saying, but If I Could Save Just One is a work of fiction. Contemporary Christian, possibly dipping into sci-fi and thriller aspects, but it’s fiction.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

Due to its off-the-cuff nature and being published serially, there is less ability to polish the grammar, spelling, perspective, and research. Expect errors, not perfect accuracy. 😅 I can only do so much by myself as an author with a million projects in progress.

The target age group is 15+ due to some heavy themes (human trafficking, medical malpractice/experimentation, abortion, etc.), but it shouldn’t be inappropriate for younger teens. Parents can judge for themselves and their kids. I opted for medical trafficking rather than s3x trafficking because my audience is largely YA (albeit mostly older YA). There may be some references to s3x trafficking since the implication is that the characters are fighting that as well, although it isn’t the focus of the story.

I should also mention that I literally haven’t decided whether to use a real illness as the mystery illness or just stick with my current list of symptoms (yes, I have one) and let the readers make their own assumptions and diagnosis. Just know that it is currently kinda similar to EDS? It’s not like I have to list all the symptoms in one chapter . . . I have time to decide . . . 😶 This is mostly off-the-cuff and borderline sci-fi. I may very well leave that bit up to the imagination.

There will be violence and trauma; as always, I aim for gritty but not too gory, and no violence simply for the sake of it. 😊 Also, there are both positive and negative views of both the medical and foster care systems.

Behind the Story

Where It Came From

Most of my stories just pop into my head complete with characters, plots, and ties to my other stories. They are usually based on some song, scripture, or other source that triggers contemplative thought about the deeper meaning that the story inevitably gets centered around.

The premises of this story, along with certain characters and plot points, have been bouncing around in my head for a while, as they come from one of my other stories, but I hadn’t intended to publish Jack’s story before the other . . . well, here I am doing it anyway.

I was definitely inspired to take the plunge and publish this sooner than planned because of some recent 5-star reads by S.L. Klein and Raven Markov (blog reviews coming soon, but you can find my short reviews on Goodreads and Fable), as well as the incredible work of Kaleb House Ministries, All Things Possible Ministries, and others.

The Deeper Meaning

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of our God's vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the LORD to glorify Him.”

Isaiah 61:1-3, HCSB

As a firm believer in the God of the Bible, the sanctity of life, setting captives free, etc. are matters very close to my heart. To free the oppressed and protect the weak and innocent is one of the most fundamental principles of our faith as followers of the Way, and to do less is to blatantly ignore the words of scripture.

“Isn't the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood? Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the LORD's glory will be your rear guard. At that time, when you call, the LORD will answer; when you cry out, He will say, 'Here I am.' If you get rid of the yoke among you, the finger-pointing and malicious speaking, and if you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.” (Isaiah 58:6-10, HCSB)

Not every person is called to dedicate their lives to active ministry in this area, but we each have a responsibility and calling to do what we can. Responsibility, did I say?

“‘When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.” Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?” And the King will answer them, “I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” Then He will also say to those on the left, “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you didn't take Me in; I was naked and you didn't clothe Me, sick and in prison and you didn't take care of Me.” Then they too will answer, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You?” Then He will answer them, “I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.” And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’” (Matthew 25:31-46, HCSB)

Frankly, to become a Christian is to join the ranks of warriors for the weak, whether you fight on the frontlines or not. Reflecting this truth, I offer this story as part of my own contribution to fighting the crisis of the exploitation of the vulnerable and a call to action for those who either don’t know what is going on or what they can do to help free the prisoners and speak up for the voiceless, or are apathetic and prefer to turn a blind eye to the darkness of the world around us . . . the darkness we are called to shine as lights in. I’ll let the scriptures speak for themselves from here.

“When someone sins in any of these ways: If he has seen, heard, or known about something he has witnessed, and did not respond to a public call to testify, he is responsible for his sin.” (Leviticus 5:1, HCSB)

“The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12, HCSB)

“Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and needy; save them from the power of the wicked.” (Psalms 82:3-4, HCSB)

“This is what the LORD says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Don't exploit or brutalize the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Don't shed innocent blood in this place.” (Jeremiah 22:3, HCSB)

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth—discerning what is pleasing to the Lord. Don't participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. Everything exposed by the light is made clear, for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you. Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don't be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.” (Ephesians 5:8-17, HCSB)

“Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. He remains faithful forever, executing justice for the exploited and giving food to the hungry. The LORD frees prisoners. The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD raises up those who are oppressed. The LORD loves the righteous. The LORD protects foreigners and helps the fatherless and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked. The LORD reigns forever; Zion, your God reigns for all generations. Hallelujah!” (Psalms 146:5-10, HCSB)

“So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn't do it.”

James 4:17, HCSB

Other Miscellaneous Details

I’m aiming for shorter chapters for this than in my story Crumbling Castles (those chapters are roughly 1500-2000 words). Think 700-1500 words per chapter. It’s also not going to be scheduled because I already have difficulty keeping up with existing posting schedules and have another scheduled serial story set to take the place of Crumbling Castles when it's finished, but I’ll try to get out a chapter of this whenever I have a minute. 😉

As of this moment, this story is written in first person (dual-perspective) with shorter third-person scenes mixed in . . . that may change before I hit publish on the first chapter.

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