by Dan Arnold
“All that will change once we have the Ark of the Covenant.”
Jake didn’t want to say it, but he felt it was important to remind everyone.
“You’re forgetting something, David. Once I hide it, none of you will know where it is.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Jake glanced at Ruben. In the gloom his face was inscrutable. Could the man be trusted to help him complete his mission?
A glance at Lorenzo elicited only a shrug.
Jake turned back to David.
“You mentioned you’d been training to become the new High Priest. Does your Great Uncle Mordechai know about it?”
“No. He wouldn’t understand. He’s a man of science. He has no interest in religion.”
“He might have an interest in a group of people who intend to overthrow and restructure the existing political, cultural and religious makeup of the nation of Israel.”
“You make it sound like we’re anarchists. That’s…irrational. We’re just a different type of Zionists. We want to see the Kingdom of Israel restored.”
“A kingdom needs a king.”
“Yes, it does. In this case it will have to be someone from the House of David.”
Jake pondered that answer for a moment. From one perspective it was accurate. The Bible made it clear that the future King of Israel would be a descendant of King David. On the other hand, there was something about this David’s attitude that suggested a different perspective. It was too disturbing to contemplate.
Once he stepped back away from the wall, Jake was able to make out the outline of where the previous wall had been breached and the stones put back in place. The painted plaster was so well crafted; it had obscured the existence of the actual structure of the wall. The finished opening into the hidden chamber would be roughly five feet wide by five feet tall.
“OK, that about does it,” he said. ”We’ll start removing one stone at a time, from the top down. It’s imperative we don’t touch or loosen the trip wire. Everyone understand?”
The three men nodded.
“Before we make the final approach, I just want to say how humbleded I am to be here at this moment. I know it means something different to each of us, but we’ve come here together under a significant threat and overcome some serious obstacles. I’m honored to know you men. Does anyone else have something they’d like to say?”
Lorenzo raised his hand.
“You have the floor, Lorenzo.”
“Good, thank you, Jake. I’d just like to say, shut up, so we can get back to work and get out of here.”
Everyone laughed.
Jake held up a hand. He pointed at David with the other one.
“David, you may have the honor of loosening and removing the first stone. But, before you do, there’s something you should know.”
David frowned.
“What is it?”
“Your training to become the High Priest has been incomplete.”
“…In what way?”
“You haven’t washed since you’ve been down in these tunnels. You’ve touched a dead body, and you ate beef stroganoff. Beef stroganoff is meat cooked in milk. What time is it?”
Ruben glanced at the luminous face of his watch.
“Almost eight o’clock in the evening. Why?”
“What day is it?”
“Friday.”
“Sure, it’s Friday here, but in Australia it’s already Saturday. For a big part of the world it’s the Sabbath. We only have one planet, so you’re working on the Sabbath. All of these things make you ceremonially unclean. Before you touch the Ark, you might want to think about that.”
Ruben hid a smile behind a gloved hand, but Lorenzo laughed out loud.
David looked like he’d been poleaxed.
“If you want to live under the law, David, be prepared to die under the law. Now, go ahead and loosen that top stone.”
Chapter 15
The three older men watched as David began prying around the edges, loosening the top stone with his knife. The hand chiseled rock was about half a meter wide and a foot tall. It took some time and effort, but he was eventually able to grasp the edges with his finger tips to loosen it further. Soon he could grip it with both hands and, after considerable heavy breathing; it came free of the wall.
David dropped the thick stone with a crash, nearly smashing Lorenzo’s foot.
In a rush of sudden fear, everyone looked up at the ceiling.
“I’m sorry; it was heavier than it looked.”
“I think we’re OK, but from now on two men will set the stones on the floor of the tunnel.” Jake said.
David was peering through the opening he’d created, holding his light next to his head.
“Something’s wrong! I don’t see anything in there.”
Jake said, “Let’s move another couple of stones out of the way so we can all get a good look.”
He and David pulled at a slab on the left while Ruben and Lorenzo pulled at the stone next to it. With four men pulling, the two stones quickly slipped free.
Once the men set them on the floor of the tunnel they all shone their lights into the chamber.
It was just as Professor Horowitz described it to Jake, a small rectangular space, about eight feet wide, maybe ten feet long and nearly filled with debris. A space just large enough for the Ark had been cleared at the center of the chamber. It was about five feet wide, two meters long and allowed about two meters of clearance from the base to the top of the concavity of the collapsed ceiling.
The space was empty. The Ark was not there!
For a second all four men were frozen in stunned silence.
“Is this the right place?” David croaked.
Jake dropped to sit on the tunnel floor with his eyes closed. All he could manage by way of response was a sad nod of his head.
“Where is it?” Ruben asked the question they were all thinking.
Jake shook his head.
“I have no idea.”
No sooner had he said it, than a sudden loud thud emanated from the far side of the chamber.
All four men shone their lights inside. The far wall of the chamber shuddered and bulged toward them as another thundering impact struck it. Small chinks appeared around several of the rocks in the wall.
Jake knew they should flee, but he was fascinated to see who or what was breaking through the wall.
Dust arose as the far wall was breached, several stones falling into the chamber. Huge spotlights flooded the chamber, nearly blinding the four men peering inside.
Was it survival instinct, divine guidance, or combat experience that prompted the four men to turn and run into the bend of the tunnel?
Looking back over his shoulder, Jake saw another set of lights approaching from far down the tunnel behind them.
All he could think of was to yell one word.
“Run!”
Evidently it was unnecessary because all four of them were dashing around the bend as fast as their feet would carry them.
They skidded to a stop behind Lorenzo. He was shining his light on the floor looking for the brass base of the first cartridge marking the safe passage between the pits. They all saw it at the same time.
“Go,” Ruben said, turning back with his assault rifle coming up. Lorenzo and David followed his example.
Jake didn’t argue, he squeezed past Lorenzo and ran across the narrow track. On the far side he knelt, bringing his pistol out of the holster while shining his light on the track for Lorenzo.
Lorenzo had just accomplished the crossing, with David right behind him, when a mighty, thunderous crash resounded around the bend.
As Ruben started across, a wall of dust and debris hurtled around the corner behind him. It hit them so fast, it blinded and choked everyone. Jake felt someone crash into him and they both fell to the floor of the tunnel. It felt as if the air was raining dirt.
When Jake opened his eyes, he could see the beam of a flas
hlight a few inches from his face. It revealed only a halo of swirling dust.
The only sound was that of men choking and retching. Realizing this, they all held their breath for a moment struggling to find something to breathe through that might help filter out the dust.
“Wha, what, happened?” Lorenzo managed.
“Are we all accounted for?” Ruben’s muffled voice was only a couple of feet from Jake, but he couldn’t be seen in the thick darkness.
“I’m OK,” David wheezed.
“I’m here.” Jake said.
For a moment there was total silence. It was soon punctuated with more coughing.
“We need to move,” Ruben said.
“Roger that,” Jake agreed.
As he struggled to get up, he bumped into someone. A firm grip helped steady him.
“You alright?” Ruben asked.
Jake’s torch revealed a hideous grey creature with bloodshot eyes blinking at him through a fog of dust. The voice was the only indicator it was Ruben.
Jake coughed.
Ruben called out, “Lorenzo, you’re ahead of us. Show a light.”
The dust glowed to Jake’s right, indicating Lorenzo’s position. The dust and darkness was completely disorienting. Jake had no idea which direction he was facing.
Immediately, all around him was the sound of rustling. He recognized it as the sound of men searching through their backpacks.
“Here, put these on,” Ruben said, tapping him on the arm.
Looking down, Jake saw a gloved hand holding a pair of goggles. He took them, slipping them on over his head. It didn’t improve his vision, but at least it would help keep some of the dust out of his eyes.
A light flicked on beside him.
Another grey shape was briefly silhouetted, before the light swept away to become little more than a weak beacon shining a beam through the dust. The beam struck the back of another grey monster a few feet away. It was someone with his hand on the wall of the tunnel, coughing.
The thing turned its helmeted head and said, “I’ll lead off. I think the next pit is only about ten paces ahead of me.”
“OK, Lorenzo. Go slow. We need to all stay together.” Ruben said. “David, you follow Lorenzo. Jake you’re behind him. I’ll bring up the rear.”
Jake’s light found what he assumed must be David as he loomed in front of him. Through the swirling dust he could just make out the shape of a helmet and backpack.
There was no way to know how long they traveled that way. Somehow they found the first pit trap and straddled across it. At some point they struggled over the debris of the collapsed section of tunnel. By then the dust had settled enough they could all see each other in the glow of their torches.
They continued on without talking. Jake’s vision became so obscured he feared he was going blind. It was a relief to realize his goggles were simply dust covered. He took them off.
When they found themselves at the first broken and breached wall, they picked up the pace, knowing fresher air would soon be found.
Upon reaching the second opening in the wall of the tunnel that led to the cave, they stopped to rest, flush out their eyes with water and and breathe deeply of the fresh night air.
Four men entirely covered in thick grey dust sat on the floor of the tunnel with their backs against the wall.
“What happened?” Lorenzo repeated the question he’s asked earlier.
Jake answered, “There was another group coming up the tunnel from the other direction. They may have run into the trigger wire, or whoever breached the chamber wall might’ve caused the cave in. Either way, it doesn’t matter, the whole tunnel must’ve collapsed. The Ark wasn’t there.”
“I don’t understand. Where is it?” David asked.
“That’s the age old question, isn’t it?” Jake said.
“But it was there!”
“Sure, but it’s gone now. The funny thing is, we weren’t the only one’s trying to find it. At least one other group thought it was there.”
“They weren’t very subtle, were they?” Ruben asked.
“No, but they were well equipped.”
“This is all wrong. We were all set to rebuild the Temple. Now we can’t.” David was stuck. “Now what do we do?”
“David, when Jesus said; ‘Tear down this Temple and in three days I will rebuild it.’ He wasn’t referring to the physical building. He was referring to himself.
In ancient times the Temple was believed to be the dwelling place of the Spirit of God. Jesus turned that notion on its head. He was saying that the fullness of the Godhead dwelt within him. After his death by crucifixion, he rose from the dead on the third day. When he ascended into heaven, he promised he would send the Holy Spirit to indwell his people.
There is no need for a Temple any longer and no need for the Ark of the Covenant. We can approach the throne of God by grace through faith.”
“That’s more blasphemy! Jesus was crucified because he was a blasphemer, just like you. We’ll find the Ark of the Covenant and when we do, you’ll see. We’re going to restore the Temple and then we’ll re-establish the Kingdom of Israel.”
“Time will tell, David.”
Lorenzo spat and said, “Whatever! Stop it. I’ve heard enough of this. My question is: What are the four of us supposed to do now?”
“Morty said I would tell you when it was time to go back to your normal lives. Well gentlemen, I think this is that time.”
Ruben held up a hand.
“Listen, do you hear that?” He asked.
Jake became aware of the sounds they’d all been hearing in the far distance. He’d chocked it up to the normal sounds of nightlife in a vibrant city.
“Sirens, and… that’s automatic weapons fire.” Ruben said.
Chapter 16
Ruben, Lorenzo and David rolled to their feet, weapons ready. All of them were caked in dust, their faces streaked and muddy from rinsing out their eyes. The sound of gunfire was more distinct now, suggesting it might be drawing closer.
Ruben didn’t like it.
“Something’s happening out there. It sounds pretty intense. Our exit may be blocked if we hang around in here. We’d better get out while we can.
“David, you have our six. Lorenzo and I are going to go into the cave first, if nothing happens, Jake, you follow us in there. Give me the truck keys. If they way is clear, we’ll make a run for it.”
Jake couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was the whole world going crazy?
Ruben took a quick look through the gap in the tunnel wall. Seeing nothing, he stepped out into the last section of tunnel leading to the cave. Lorenzo followed closely on his heels, his assault rifle pointed back into the tunnel.
Upon reaching the cave Ruben and Lorenzo knelt, signaling Jake to join them. David came through the gap in the wall right behind him.
When all four of them were assembled, Ruben said, “I’ll take a quick look outside to see if it’s safe to go to the truck. If it is, we’re getting out of here.
Ruben, ducked low in the cave opening, could see the truck backed up to the very edge of the level ground. It was only about forty meters away at the base of the hill, inside the barricade. The parking area beyond it wasn’t well lit, but inside the barricade he could see the fork lift and a couple of men talking and pointing off in the distance. He figured those would be the security guards from the university.
In the near distance he saw a burning car and farther away the occasional muzzle flash punctuated by the rattle of automatic gunfire. Evidently there was some sort of street fighting going on out there.
Ruben waived the other men forward.
“Ok, here’s the plan. We walk quickly but casually down to the truck. The security guards will probably want to know who we are, but they’ve been expecting us to come back out at some point. We climb in the truck and drive away. Any questions?”
“Should we conceal our weapons?” David asked.
“No, there
’s some kind of riot or other street violence going on out there. I’d rather be safe than sorry. We’re better armed than the security guys. I don’t think they’ll give us any trouble. Anything else? No? Ok. Here we go.”
The four of them emerged from the mouth of the cave and began a swift scramble down the hillside. At about the mid-point down, the entire area was lit up brighter than daylight and an amplified voice boomed from all around them.
“FREEZE, DROP YOUR WEAPONS! THIS IS THE IDF. DROP YOUR WEAPONS!”
Everyone stiffened where they stood. After so long underground operating only by the meager light of tactical flashlights, they were blinded by the high powered spotlights. Ruben lowered his assault rifle to the ground and the others followed his lead.
“WHICH OF YOU IS DR. JACOB WALKER?”
Jake held up his hands.
“I am.”
From nearby a voice spoke in a normal tone.
“Dr. Walker, I’m Colonel Siegfried with the Israeli Defense Force. Are you OK?”
Shielding his eyes from the intense light, Jake could see an indistinct figure approaching along the edge of the hillside.
“Yes, Colonel, I’m fine.”
“Let’s shut down some of those spotlights.” The colonel yelled.
In a moment the five men were able to look at each other in the reduced glare.
“Are you sure you’re not injured, Dr. Walker?”
Jake realized that he, Ruben, Lorenzo, and David looked like they’d been buried alive, which they almost were. He couldn’t tell at a glance which of them looked worse.
“No, we’re all unhurt.”
“That’s good news. We were expecting you to be carrying a package. Is it still inside the cave?”
“No. What’s going on here, Colonel?
“Right, I understand. Let’s walk down to the parking area and I’ll tell you why we’re here. Then, you can tell me where the package is.”
When they reached the parking area, they found themselves surrounded by heavily armed and armored soldiers of the IDF.