by Justin Price
By this time, the full moon had started shining through the trees. The faint glow of the sun could be seen on the western horizon through the thick trees behind him. He knew that he would need to travel north to get to Joanna and Ryan, but he also didn’t know if they had been caught by the authorities. ‘Maybe they weren’t after Joanna’, he thought. ‘Maybe they escaped and she is coming back to find me.’
Noah only wished that he knew what to do. He had to walk the fine line between finding them, avoiding getting himself caught, and allowing them to find him. He kept walking and wondering what his chances of success were. He could run right into them along the road or he could have no chance if they were arrested with all kinds of scenarios in between.
A cool breeze came from the west, carrying the fresh smell of pine under his nose. He was suddenly reminded of what he had found at the base of that old tree. He reached into his pocket on the inside of his jacket and pulled out the small black book that was about the size of his palm. It still seemed to be in mint condition and had obviously been kept in an airtight metal container for a reason. His Uncle knew that it couldn’t be kept around any longer. It was too much of a risk.
It was an item so rare that most people wouldn’t even know what they were looking at if they saw it. In gold letters, the cover read ‘Holy Bible’. Even Noah didn’t know much about this book. The only reason he knew anything was that his Uncle had talked about it on occasion when he was a child. He had never seen one in person because they had been confiscated and removed from the public for sixty years. There was very few left that were still intact and in this condition.
Noah knew that having this book in his possession made him public enemy number one. He had wanted to open the book and read with his family, but his curiosity was getting the best of him. He wondered why any book could be so threatening to the world that it would be outlawed. He figured that maybe anything that the government wanted gone had to be worth having.
He placed the book back into his pocket and kept walking about ten feet away from the road through the woods. The forest stretched for over one hundred miles into the wilderness of Northern California. He committed to walking no more than five to eight miles before he turned around and headed out to try to make it back home. He couldn’t just keep walking and ‘surely they didn’t go too far north’, he thought.
As his mind kept running in circles, he kept walking straight ahead, hoping that he would run into a sign of them or hoping that they would drive down the road looking for him. Just as he had that thought, sure enough, someone did come driving very slowly down the road with a spotlight. It was still too far away to tell if it was them or not, but he was pretty sure that they didn’t have a spotlight in their vehicle. As it got closer, his fears were confirmed.
It was obviously law enforcement. He couldn’t tell if it was local, state, or federal but he didn’t want to get close enough to find out. The vehicle closed in at a faster rate than he had first judged. As the spotlight came his way, he dropped in amongst the foliage onto the ground. As he laid there on his belly, he held his breath and hoped that they wouldn’t spot him. The white sedan slowly crept by, pointing a light to the left and then to the right, being careful not to miss anything.
‘If this was federal, they would probably have infrared or night vision goggles with them’, he thought. He would be caught sure enough. He made the assumption that this wasn’t federal though as they had an affinity for black vehicles. ‘No… this is more than likely a California state trooper.’
Noah kept his face to the ground; completely motionless as the spotlight swung his direction. The beam went right over his back. His heart started to race as beads of sweat rolled off of the end of his nose and hit the dirt below him. ‘Dear God’, he prayed, ‘if you get me out of here and help me find my family, then we will follow you until the end. We just need the chance to know the truth.’
As soon as those thoughts entered his mind, the spotlight went forward and so did the car. He let out a deep breath, a sigh of relief, as the danger subsided. His still sharp mind started working on the implications of this officer being here, obviously searching for someone. This could mean one of two things. Either Joanna and Ryan were captured and they told the authorities where he was or they got away and the officers were searching for them.
He didn’t think that his family would give him away to the government or the police that quickly, so the best chance was that they are still out here somewhere. Noah felt a renewed sense of hope as he pressed forward toward the goal of locating his family.
Joanna and Ryan had walked into the forest, zig-zagging for what felt like forever to make sure that they could evade those in pursuit of them. Joanna was becoming very fatigued as she had lost quite a bit of blood from the wound on her shoulder. It was a superficial wound and did not hit any major blood vessels, but she wondered if it was ever going to stop bleeding. They continued without stopping for two hours.
After crossing a flowing creek, they stopped to set up camp for the night. Noah had taught Ryan a lot about camping, passing on what his father and uncle had taught him. This situation was different though. They had people that wanted to capture them and they had no supplies with them to help them survive. The only thing that he had was a pocket knife that he always kept with him.
“Mom, we need to get you some water right now.”
“No honey. I’m fine.”
“No you’re not. You are hurt and the last thing we need is to be dehydrated.”
Joanna just looked at him with amazement and wondered how he even knew what that word meant. Her boy had become a man right before her eyes. In this moment, she truly appreciated Noah’s ability to teach his son and be close to him. It had paid off tremendously; even at Ryan’s young age.
“The only way we are going to get water is right here at this creek mom.”
“You’re right Ryan. We need to do it now. We don’t know when our next chance will be and we will need to keep moving.”
“First things first. We need to get some pressure on your shoulder.”
Ryan took his shirt and cut the sleeves off of it and wrapped it around her shoulder tightly to make sure that it didn’t bleed anymore.
“Honey! No, you’ll freeze!”
“I’m okay mom. Trust me. It’s not that cold tonight.”
They both walked to the creek where the water was rushing rather quickly over the rocks. They caught the water in their hands and drank as much as they wanted. The water was fresh and cool on their tongues.
The refreshing water reinvigorated them so they continued to walk west to get as far away from the main road as possible. They walked for another hour through the thick forest to the haunting sounds of owls and coyotes in the distance. They knew that they needed to gain as much distance between them and their pursuers as possible.
Finally, their legs and feet had enough. They both leaned against a tree and fell asleep as a fog crept across the hills of the deep, dark forest. Their bodies were exhausted and they had never felt further away from home and safety as they did that night.
Liam Cain had awoken in the presidential quarters like he had so many times before. He slowly pulled himself out of bed with a groan. He stood up on the heated floor and shuffled across the room to the bathroom. He always started his day by shaving his face and taking a hot shower to relax and mentally prepare himself for the day ahead.
He walked up to the sink and opened the mirror, which had fresh razors already stocked for him by the maid who took care of the presidential quarters. He pulled out a razor and shaving gel then closed the mirror. As it was closed, a bright light reflected off the glass that nearly blinded him. He turned around startled and gripped the edge of the sink behind him.
As his eyes adjusted to the light, he was able to see a being in the center of it. It had the form of a man with eyes like blue flames and hair that looked as though it were made of strands of pure gold. He wore a flowing robe that was as w
hite as the first snow of winter. On his side was a sword that blazed like a torch.
President Cain was frozen with fear at the sight of him. He slowly slid down against the front of the sink with the knobs on the doors digging into his back. His mouth was wide open and he was as white as a ghost. His throat caught when he tried to form words. “Who…who…are you?”
“Do not fear me. I am Phanuel, a messenger of Yahweh, the Lord of the heavens and earth. I have been sent to you President Liam Cain on behalf of the cries of the Lord’s people in the earth.”
“Who are the Lord’s people?”
“They are those that have been called in this day to destroy the works of Lucifer, the evil one. They are those that are being killed and imprisoned by the leaders of this world… including you.”
“But… I get my orders from Samyaza al Assad. This was not my decision alone.” He slumped his shoulders and looked down at the floor in shame. “It was for the betterment of the world. They were holding everyone back from progress.”
“Liam…” the angel said with quiet compassion. “Realize this day who you are and whom you shall serve. Assad is not the one you shall fear or serve, but it is the Lord God of Israel and His perfect sacrifice for mankind. His own Son took away the sins of the world. He is the only One who is able to give eternal life that your kind so desperately seeks. Only in Him is an abundance of life, peace, and joy.”
“I have heard of Him. He is the one whom Samyaza hates more than any other god that mankind has ever worshipped. We have tried for years to completely wash away any trace of His name all across the world and those who had believed in Him were quarantined from society. We couldn’t risk the disease spreading again…that’s how it was treated at least…like a disease.”
“Assad seeks worship for himself and he is erecting temples across the world for all to worship him or face death. This is not the one who loves mankind or has its best interests at heart. You must know the truth and face Assad when the time comes. Don’t worry what you will do or say… the Spirit of God will tell you what to say when the time comes. Be of courage Liam Cain…the Lion of Judah will overcome and He has chosen you to partner with Him.”
The room filled with a burst of light that caused Liam to close his eyes tightly. Just as quickly as the messenger had arrived, he was gone. President Cain sat there in the floor with tears streaking down his cheeks. He wanted to pinch himself to see if this was real. He knew that it was real and he was awake. He also knew of the implications this had for him and for the United States of America.
As he sat there and pondered what he needed to do first, something came to him. Throughout the years, it never mattered how much the world scaled down their nuclear arsenal or how much the U.S. promised to cut back. Even when everyone got rid of all nuclear weapons, the U.S. kept a few hidden. In like fashion, even though the world had spent sixty years eliminating all religious literature and iconography of any kind, there were still a few of those books left…in his own library.
The President raced out of the room and down a hall that went into his presidential library. There were books that stretched all across the room on shelves that were twenty feet high. Even though print had gone out of style years ago, nobody could ever figure out what to use the space for… so they kept it just like it was.
He went straight for the section on ‘religion and spirituality’ and climbed the ladder to the top shelf where a half dozen bibles stood. He picked up the first one he could reach and took it down to read it. He looked both ways and listened in the hallway outside to make sure that nobody was near. He shut both doors that led into the room on either side and locked them.
Liam had never read this book, so he had no idea where he should start. He just opened the book to a random page and began reading. “Saul, Saul…why do you persecute me?” He began to read about a man named Saul, a leader who persecuted God’s people. He soon realized that this was no coincidence. This man was him. He read the words of Jesus and how Saul came to follow him and work with the same people he had persecuted. Could this be his mission in life as well?
He took his phone and called his secretary. “Please let all my appointments today know that I won’t be out today. I have something else on my itinerary. It’s classified…”
Samyaza al Assad and Adnan Bahar landed in Istanbul, Turkey to observe the new temple that was being put into operation that day. It was the grand opening and there would be plenty of pomp and circumstance to satisfy Assad’s ego. As they exited the personal jet, a team of three men flanked them on all sides. Adnan walked beside Samyaza to the right, but slightly behind him as the three agents scanned the crowd that had gathered to greet them.
They had stopped announcing appearances more than twelve hours in advance lately because the crowds in line waiting to see Assad were too large to manage and he would always do his best to accommodate them. As they walked through the crowd, he could be seen shaking hands and touching people on their heads to impart his own blessing on them.
Men and women alike could be seen kneeling, crying, or actually passing out. This wasn’t anything new. People had shown similar behaviors around celebrities for several years, but this was something a little different. Many in the crowd had actually started worshipping him as a god on earth.
Assad and Bahar just grinned from ear to ear as they waved at the crowd before they stepped into the huge stretch limo that was waiting on them. The agents opened the door for them and Bahar slid in first, followed by Assad. The inside of the limo was state of the art. No expense had been spared in making sure that the world leader was comfortable and well accommodated.
The doors closed and the car rose about two feet off of the ground. It was one of the smoothest rides that anyone could afford…and not many could. The limo was equipped with the latest hover technology. As the car took off and quickly sped up to eighty miles per hour. All roads were blocked off for miles.
As they continued along the route to the temple, Adnan gleamed with joy. “I can’t wait for you to see this, your majesty. I think you will be so impressed with what has been created.”
“I am ready to see it. Of course, the hologram can’t be as impressive as the real thing, but I am sure it will do just fine for the citizens of Istanbul.”
They were both excited to see this image of Assad come to life for the first time today. It had been a long time coming, but there was now enough supporters to make it a reality. Within eight minutes, they began to close in on the temple. In the distance, they could see the cathedral-like peak which displayed a globe at the top with the hand of Assad supporting it.
A concrete wall on the corner of the street said, “One World, One Faith”. Assad was fighting back a smile at this point, but Bahar could see it written all over his face. He was already pleased with what he saw. The car stopped and the two stepped out onto a red carpet along with their security. There was a cheering crowd outside much like the one at the airport only minutes ago.
They walked in between barricades, which was the only thing separating them from the people. As they walked up the steps that led to the door, Assad turned around and waved at the crowd and put his hand over his heart as a sign of mutual affection and humility. He turned back around and the men disappeared into the doors of the temple. As they walked into the building, a man in a black robe bowed down and kissed Assad’s signet ring on his right hand.
“I pledge my loyalty to you your majesty. Long live the king.”
Assad put on his best humble façade and stepped back as if he were embarrassed by the sudden show of affection. “Oh, sir. You need not worship me right now. I am only a guest for now. Who may you be?”
“Yes sir. I am the priest at this temple. I will be helping to facilitate the worship sessions.”
“Ahhh… very good sir. Well, thank you for your confidence and your devotion. I am quite humbled… I really am. You may carry on now.”
The men continued past the lobby and into the main wo
rship area. It looked very similar to a church in structure, but on the podium stood a large statue of Assad, standing fifteen feet and made of pure gold. There were several theater style seats that had screens built into the back of them where worshippers could interact with Assad’s computer counterpart on a personal level.
They continued to the front where there were several ports on the floor directly in front of an altar made of solid marble. “I want to show you what this can do sir!” said Adnan with excitement. They approached the altar and Adnan said, “Praise Assad!”
Suddenly the life-size image of Assad appeared before their eyes. “I accept your worship Adnan”, said the image. “How may I minister to you today?”
The exchange between the image and Adnan continued for a few minutes until Assad himself stepped in. “I see that it recognizes people and calls them by name?”
“Yes! That’s the beauty of it. It isn’t a cookie cutter program, this is a very personal experience for everyone who comes here. There are retinal scanners that pick up a person’s complete record within the first few seconds of interaction. There is very little that the computer will not know about a person.”
“I must say Mr. Bahar…I am thoroughly impressed with what you and the technology department have put together. I want everyone both great and small to worship my image worldwide. We shall make sure that it becomes a reality…won’t we Adnan?”
“Absolutely sir. At any cost.”
CHAPTER 10
Abbie and her mother stepped off the plane in Little Rock, Arkansas. This was only the fourth time in seven years that Abbie had been home. She came in twice for the holidays, once for her grandpa’s funeral, and now for Jenna’s funeral. It was sad to her that it took tragedy to bring her home. This was different though. This took enough out of her emotionally that she couldn’t imagine going back to Nashville.