by Pam Funke
“You are so welcome. You need to stop referring to yourself as old Katy, as you are still quite young. You’re only 58 you know, “he said jokingly.
Katy hugged him and handed him a plate containing slices of cake and walked him to the hall closet.
“Same time next week?” he asked.
“I look forward to it.”
He walked into the closet and down the stairs into the tunnel and headed back towards the church. Little did Katy know that he had already worked in the tunnels and rooms a while back. The rooms were fully stocked with food, blankets, and other basic necessities. He’d had the same strange thought months ago. He climbed the stairs to the church before turning to lock everything up tight. Everything was safe for now.
CHAPTER thirty-three
Dr. Ezekiel White was enjoying mid-week church services. He looked forward to Wednesday nights—potluck dinner and fellowship. Tonight was great. Service was excellent as always. He went around the room talking with different people. He saw a nice looking older lady and sat down next to her. She reminded him of his grandma.
“How are you this evening?” he asked.
Katy looked at him. “I’m just fine, young man,” she said.
“That’s good to know. I’m Dr. Ezekiel White, but my friends call me Zeke for short.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Dr. White. My name’s Katy Farnsworth.” She offered her hand.
“Please call me Zeke. It’s nice to meet you as well.”
The two of them talked about the night’s service and various other subjects. It was amazing to discover how much they had in common. She is so easy to talk to. I feel like I’ve known her for years. We are going to be good friends; I can feel it.
“Would you like to come for Sunday dinner at my home?” Katy asked.
“I would be honored.”
“Good. I will see you then. Have a blessed night.” Katy stood to leave.
“You do the same.” Ezekiel walked her to her car. What a nice lady. I’m so glad I met her. It is awesome to have such a godly friend. I rarely get to have such godly conversations.
****
General Ludlow walked slowly down to the third floor. He was sulking as he had not liked being dismissed in that manner. He certainly did not like the way the group had talked down to him. I am just as much a part of this group as they are. I am in charge of the military portion of this operation. Who do they think they are? He wanted to take as long as possible to reach the lab. He was beginning to think more and more that he should never have gotten involved in all of this. The money certainly isn’t worth all of this trouble. But I need it to take care of Mae, especially now as it costs so much to have her in that adult daycare program. I’m doing this for her, for us. Get yourself together Alexander it will all be over with soon. Alexander decided that he was definitely going to retire and get away from all of this and soon. He still did not trust the group; something just didn’t feel right. There was something odd going on. Not to mention, all of the group members gave him the creeps.
Alexander was beginning to doubt that the voice had his best interests at heart. He was starting to believe there really was such a thing, as good and evil. Those people are definitely evil. So what does that make me? But he had no time to think about it anymore as the voice interrupted him once more.
“Just what are you thinking about son? I have kept my side of the bargain. Don’t you dare think about backing out on your end of the deal! The consequences of that would be unimaginable to you. I do not have to remind you that you said you would do anything even give up your immortal soul if I would help you with your problems. Have you forgotten?”
“No, I have not forgotten. I was just beginning to think that this is not worth it. It’s not that I do not appreciate what you have done for me; it’s just that I do not trust the people in the group. Something about them seems so evil. I am not so sure that what we are doing is right. They‘ve changed the original plan. There was only supposed to have been one target; not many.”
General Ludlow was quiet for a moment. That still small voice kept telling him to leave this project.
“I didn’t sign up to murder innocent people. This was supposed to make things better,” he mumbled.
“You had better get your head on straight, son. You do not know who you are dealing with. If I were you, I would just do what I was told to do and stop questioning everything. It is bad for your health and the health of your family!” said the voice.
How dare you threaten me and my family? Who do you think you are talking to? General Ludlow stood warily, opening and closing his fists.
“What was that?” the voice asked.
“I will do what is necessary to complete what was asked of me. I know that I owe you everything, but does it have to be this? I am not so sure that I can do this.”
“You had better. Remember I am always watching you. Do not worry, everything will be fine. You worry way too much. Just glance at your bank statement when you think that you cannot go through with this. I am sure that you will like what you see.”
“Yes, I am very grateful. I will do as I was told.”
General Ludlow stared at the floor. He was going to have to be more careful from now on. How does the voice always seem to know what I am thinking about? What do I care about what happens to the people anyway? It has absolutely nothing to do with me. Forget about all the nastiness that I have to put up with from The Group; I have more than enough money now to do the things that I want.
“He is going to be a problem,” the voice whispered to the man staring out of the window on the 5th floor.
“I was afraid of that,” the man replied.
He turned and looked back at the group sitting around the table quietly, stopping when he was looking at Sampson. He sighed heavily, “General Ludlow is expendable. Make sure that he is taken care of.” Sampson nodded in compliance.
Sampson got up and left the room. Finally, he was getting the chance to have a little fun. He had been waiting for the General to mess up as he had not liked him from the moment he’d laid eyes on him. But who am I to judge Nicolaitanes? He is only human just like the rest of us. Everyone makes mistakes. Nicolaitanes is entitled to his as well.
Sampson walked quickly to the garage; the General’s car was still there. However, he wasn’t alone as the stupid driver was sitting in the car.
“Are you kidding me? Doesn’t that kid have anything better to do?” Sampson mumbled under his breath. He took one last look at the car before turning and walking back to the building. He would just have to figure something else out.
CHAPTER thirty-four
General Ludlow placed his right palm on the scanner. As it read his fingerprints it searched through the massive federal records for a match and authorization for entry. After a few moments, a panel slid open so Alexander could enter his password to enter the lab. Security was extremely tight in this particular room. General Ludlow sighed as the lab door opened for admittance. He was going through with it and there was no turning back now. What am I doing? He walked through the doorway of the lab into the airlock. The voice was right about one thing, Alexander needed to stop worrying about this and just get it over with.
General Ludlow donned his protective suit and stepped into the clean room. He hated being in here. The scientists were working quietly and did not even acknowledge his presence. This did not bother the General, he knew that they had to be extremely careful in here and pay close attention to every little detail they were doing. One little mistake could be catastrophic. He walked over to the computer monitors to check the status of the biological experiment—a small portion of Operation Dark Angel. He still could not see how the biological experiment would help mankind for the better. Truth be told, he didn’t see how any of this would help mankind for the better. He just couldn’t see the big picture. Perhaps that was the whole problem.
Alexander never thought that he would ever be part of biological warfare. He wa
s against this type of warfare as it was cruel to inflict such vindictiveness on another human being, but it was worse to inflict it on unarmed, unsuspecting human beings. At the moment, however, he didn’t really seem to care and that was really starting to bother him. General Ludlow knew that he was being selfish by only looking out for himself. Alexander hoped that his wife never found out what he had done to get all the money they now had as she would be severely disappointed in him not to mention angry. She would probably leave him if she knew; although not before making him give all the money back.
Alexander was about to become responsible for thousands of deaths and he did not even care although he knew that he should. All that General Ludlow could think about was all the money he had been paid and how he and his wife were going to pay off all their bills and start over somewhere else. Alexander was going to finally retire from the Army. He was going to put in his paperwork today. Especially after the threat that the voice had made a moment ago. Alexander was going to take his family someplace safe and far away from these people and from the voice. At least, that’s what he intended to do. What kind of man am I turning into? Will it be worth it to try to save my soul? He was beginning to think that it more than likely would not be. He was ashamed of the man that he had turned into. He was glad that there was no god because he would not have anyone that he would have to answer to. How wrong he was, he was about to find out.
CHAPTER thirty-five
Charlie Andrews glanced around the room. Everyone seemed pre-occupied with their own jobs. He quietly got up and left the room. I wonder where Charlie is going. Grant watched as Charlie left the room. He thought about calling out to Charlie but decided not to. After all, there must be some reason why Charlie didn’t even say that he was leaving or where he was going. It’s none of my business.
Charlie walked hastily down the hallway to the empty office on the left. He glanced around quickly; making sure that there was no one around. He didn’t see anyone so he quickly slipped into the office closing the door behind him. She was already there waiting for him.
“You wanted to talk to me about something, Charlie?” she asked.
“Are we safe in here?”
She looked at Charlie completely puzzled. Charlie appeared nervous. What in the world has him so afraid? Charlie walked around the room looking in the closet and the small bathroom making sure that they were completely alone.
“You have to promise me that what I say to you stays between us? It doesn’t leave this room.”
“I promise, Charlie. What’s wrong?”
Charlie sat down on the desk. His hands were trembling; she walked over and gently took his hands into her own.
“You can trust me, Charlie.”
Charlie looked into her eyes; he nodded his head then looked down at the floor. “I’m leaving this project. It’s wrong. They’ve done nothing but lie to us. General Ludlow is going to use the BTX (botulinum toxin) and not for research either. We’re not going to get the chance to study it to find a cure. These people are going to use it; I just know it.” Charlie was shaking.
“Charlie are you crazy? You can’t leave; they’re not going to let you just go. What makes you so sure of all this?”
“I saw that man from Rome going into the General’s office. You know the one from the television?”
“Yeah, so. How do you know that he has anything to do with the project?”
“I just know he does, but I can’t tell you how I know. Besides that man is evil.”
Charlie’s whole body was trembling now. Charlie looked utterly terrified. If I tell her that God told me, she would think I was bonkers.
“Look, I saw him change into a hideous creature which went about devouring the people of the world. You have to believe me,” Charlie whispered.
She looked at Charlie really concerned now. Surely Charlie has lost his mind. What does he mean Nicolaitanes turned into some sort of beast and devoured the others. Is Charlie on some sort of hallucinogen? He really does look terrified, though.
“Okay, Charlie. It’s going to be okay. What do you want me to do?”
“There’s nothing you can do. Promise me that you’ll disappear also. Don’t stay mixed up in this. Promise me!” Charlie said grabbing her arms and staring at her.
“I can’t promise you that Charlie. You know I need the money. But I will promise you this. If things start getting crazy, I will leave this project. I promise Charlie. You don’t have to worry about me. Besides, God will protect me and He will protect you also if you only ask Him to.”
Charlie hugged her. “I know. But I am still afraid.”
“We had better get back before we are missed. No use creating suspicion.”
Charlie shook his head and hugged her again before quickly heading back to the lab. He never noticed the guy watching them from across the way. The man stepped into the hallway watching Charlie as he walked past. He would have to talk to Nicolaitanes about this. He turned and headed back upstairs. He wondered who the lady was that Charlie had been talking to.
She peered around the door to see if the hallway was empty. It was not. She cautiously watched the man watching Charlie. Now who is he and why is he watching Charlie? Just then the man turned around. She quickly closed the door and waited until the man had gone into the stairwell before coming out of the room and hurrying back to the lab.
CHAPTER thirty-six
“Charlie?” General Ludlow called.
“Yes General,” Charlie Andrews answered.
“Are the long-range missiles ready?”
“Yes sir,” Charlie replied sadly. Is there nothing I can do to stop this madness? God forgive me, I have failed you.
“Grant?” General Ludlow called.
“Yes General,” Grant Stephens answered.
“Is the BTX strain ready?”
“General, I think that it is ready, but we have had no way to test it to be sure. You do realize that we have only tested it on animals. We have no idea what effect it will have on humans.”
“I see.”
Perhaps General Ludlow would be off the hook; he kind of hoped that he would be. Alexander was a little anxious, he wanted to be out spending money on his wife and himself. Maybe this was his way out of this mess.
“Grant, what will this strain be capable of?” General Ludlow asked. Do I really want to know that?
“General, it is weather resistant, heat resistant, has a longer life-span and is highly contagious. This new strain is also harder to destroy.”
“Will it do the job intended?”
“I believe so, General. But there is still more testing that needs to be done.”
“Then get it ready for deployment. It needs to be placed on the missiles where it will have the maximum affect.”
“Yes sir, but what about the testing phase?”
“Consider this the testing phase and get it done.”
Grant stared at General Ludlow appalled. I thought we were creating this strain so we could study it and perhaps find a cure for it. I didn’t know the General actually wanted us to use it.
Slowly Grant picked up the phone and ordered the missiles to be prepared for launch sequence. He explained where the BTX needed to be placed on the missiles. He also gave the mission codes before hanging up. There’s no turning back now. Grant sighed.
“How naïve I’ve been. Of course, the General would want to use the new BTX strain. Why on earth would the military actually want to create something to study and to find a cure for anyway? They’re not interested unless it’s being used against mankind. Since when has the government ever cared about saving others? They only seek to destroy,” Grant mumbled to himself.
“What was that Grant?” General Ludlow asked.
“Nothing, sir.”
Grant returned his attention back to his computer. He could feel the icy stare that he was receiving from General Ludlow.
CHAPTER thirty-seven
Charlie was nearly out of his mind. He had not
been able to get that image of Nicolaitanes Balac out of his head. I imagined it, didn’t I? He was no longer so sure that he had seen it. Are we really going to test the BTX strain on unsuspecting live human beings? This isn’t possible. How could I have gotten mixed up in all of this? But one thing that he did know for sure was that he was very afraid. He had to talk to her again. He had to talk about this.
Charlie looked up from his work. “Anyone want anything? I’m going for coffee,” Charlie said getting up.
“A caramel cappuccino, if you don’t mind,” replied Katy.
“Sure, does anyone else want anything?”
“No, thanks,” Grant said
Now, what’s going on? She supposed that she would find out in a few minutes when she met Charlie down the hall. She excused herself to the ladies room and quickly headed to the office.
“What’s wrong now Charlie?” she asked when she got there.
Charlie looked even more scared to death. He was trembling from head to toe. He told her in detail about what he saw when he was wandering the halls earlier. She stood there staring at him. Has Charlie gone mental? She looked at him curiously. She wasn’t sure what to think.
She paced back and forth across the room. She sighed, “What do you suppose it means Charlie?”
“I….I don’t know. All I know is that there is something very evil about that Nicolaitanes Balac. I don’t trust him.”
Charlie whimpered as he sat down on the floor and curled up into a ball.
“He turned into some sort of beast and devoured the others. He smiled as he looked at me then he laughed. What if he really is some kind of monster? He scares me,” Charlie whispered in child-like voice.
Okay. Now Charlie really is beginning to act a little weird. What can I do, Lord? She knelt down in front of Charlie. Despite whatever it was that he thought he saw, his fear is real. That’s what I have to focus on.