by Wilson, Cal
“Some of the states have effectively seceded. I guess you haven’t heard. Some states seceded, but of course they haven’t used the word ‘secede.’ But it works out to be the same. And those states have taken over the National Guard units within their borders. We had orders to take them back. A few shots later, and we had a civil war on our hands.” Josh looked around. “You guys must be really secluded up here if you haven’t heard about that.”
“Incredible,” Peter said. “Attacking our own troops…” Peter started looking through Josh’s dark green backpack.
“You can have my stuff, I’m done with it,” Josh told him. “I’m no longer in the Army.”
“Just curious what you brought with you,” Peter replied.
“Hey, if you don’t mind,” Josh pointed at a small orange book that slipped out of his backpack and onto the ground. “That’s my Bible, and I would rather not see it on the ground.”
“Oh, I agree.” Peter picked the Bible up off the ground.
Jim and Jose returned with a cup of water, salt and honey. “Here, drink this,” Jim said.
“Thanks.” Josh swallowed the water in a single gulp. He handed the cup back to Jim.
Jim turned in the direction of going to get another cup of water, but he stayed and listened. “You must have seen a lot in the last few days,” Jim said.
“And only yesterday,” Josh continued. “I forget what day it is. Anyway, whenever it was, I came across a train derailment that burned down a nearby apartment complex. Apparently the train was carrying some crude oil. The terrorists have gotten pretty good at derailments. I saw at least 35 dead bodies at that apartment complex. The lucky ones died of smoke inhalation, while the unlucky ones just burned to death.”
“It’s like I keep telling everyone,” Jim said, sounding a little too matter-of-fact for the conversation. “We need to approve the building of oil pipelines from the north, where they drill the oil, to the refineries in the south.” Jesse, flanked by Mary and David, looked at Jim. All three started nodding ‘no’ to what Jim was saying. “Pipelines are a lot safer and cheaper to transport the oil,” Jim continued. “And building oil pipelines can generate some good, high-paying jobs. It’s a real win-win situation for the country.”
Jim looked at Jesse, Mary and David, all nodding in disagreement. “What? What did I say?” Jim asked.
Jesse quickly cleared his throat. “Jim, we are in the End Times here. Politics doesn’t matter anymore. In fact, politics is totally irrelevant at this point. It’s time to give the political talk a rest.”
“Oh, I guess you’re right.”
“You were sounding pretty good there, Jim,” Jose said, smiling. “You should run for Congress or something. I’d vote for you.”
“Except -- oh that’s right,” Jim said with a smile, “there are no more elections. Minor detail there.” Jim and Jose chuckled.
Josh looked at Jim and Jose, confused. “Laughter? I haven’t heard laughter in ages. What’s with the laughter?”
“It’s better than the alternative, don’t you think?” Jesse asked.
Josh sat forward in his chair and asked Jesse, Mary and David, “I have to stay here. Can I stay here? I can more than pull my own weight. I was in the Army, you know. I can help you guys out with a lot of things. Will you let me stay here, please?”
“You’re a Christian, right?” David asked.
Jesse interrupted. “We’ll have to talk about it, Josh. This is another thing we haven’t planned on. What to do when someone wants to join us. I guess we’ll have to talk it over. Just keep in mind that this is not a peaceful area here. You might have just hiked from one war zone into another. We were attacked by some scumbags in a Huey last night.”
“A Huey helicopter? How’d it go?” Josh asked, then looked around. “Well, I guess you guys did OK. You’re all here. Unless the casualties are somewhere else.”
“We got ‘em,” Wallace said. “Two of us got shot but they’ll pull through.”
“Oh, they were shooting at you guys here?”
“There were five of them,” Wallace reported with pride. “And we killed them all.”
“Not bad. Not bad at all.” Josh looked over the group. “Lately they have been using crop-dusters and helicopters to throw out Anthrax or Ebola germs on cities. I guess they thought they would just shoot at you guys here.”
“Yep,” Wallace nodded.
“Forgive me, but you guys don’t look like the types who have had much weapons training.”
“Well,” Wallace started.
“We’re not,” Mary interrupted. “Aside from a few of us, most of us don’t know one end of a gun from the other.”
“Maybe I can help you change that,” Josh offered.
“Yes, maybe you can,” Mary agreed.
Jesse looked at Jim. “Jim and Jose, could you two please walk Josh back to the camp and help Lois work with him? He still needs a lot of water and electrolytes. We should also feed him some of our leftovers from lunch. He’s probably pretty hungry too.”
“Sure.”
Peter and Jim walked with Josh back towards the center of the camp where they planned on feeding him more water mixed with salt and honey, and Lois planned on checking on Josh’s vital signs and addressing the medical issues that she could address. Everyone sat back down in their chairs with Jesse and Wallace both standing in front.
“I think that’s all I had to say,” Wallace concluded. “I hope I helped with some ideas of surviving. The main thing is that everyone needs to be ready to defend this camp at any time. You need to be fit, dressed in camo, and trained to go in a moment’s notice.”
“Thanks Wallace,” Jesse said.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an early dinner to go to with Kathy, and it’s gonna be a beaut.” Wallace started walking towards the camp, followed by Kathy and Jose.
“Let’s close in prayer. Lawson, could you close our meeting in prayer?”
“Sure,” Lawson said, and then slowly walked to stand next to Jesse. Everyone bowed their heads. “Heavenly Father, we thank you for a good meeting with a number of topics for us to consider. We thank You for the guidance You have given us so far, and we ask that You bless our group here, and protect us in these dangerous times ahead. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Wallace, Kathy, Jose, followed by most everyone else got up and walked towards the camp center. A few others stayed in their seats.
“Chuck, you can turn off the walkie-talkie microphone now. Let’s hope our friends at the observation post heard the meeting.”
****
CHAPTER 23
Jesse looked at everyone still there. “Hey guys, we’re done with the meeting.”
“Jesse,” Beth began, and then looked around. “I think I can speak for all of us here.” She noticed nods of agreement. “Our nerves are really shot. As for myself, I’m not sure if I will be able to sleep for at least a week.” A tear streamed down her cheek. “It’s that bad.”
“I never thought I would be shot at,” Natalie, a teenage girl sitting next to Keira said. Her voice started to break, as she started to cry. “It’s just too much for us. One day we’re learning to drive, dating and … well, thinking about dating, getting mani-pedis, going to shoe sales, then a few days later we are up here getting shot at by some people in a helicopter for reasons I don’t even know. Now it looks like the town is being burned to the ground.” Natalie quickly pointed to the south, where the huge smoke column from the direction of the town was still prominent in the sky. “My friends from school are probably getting killed right now. I never thought I would …” Natalie stopped talking and put her face in her hands and cried. Keira put her hand on Natalie’s shoulder.
“Have you taken your feelings to the Lord in prayer?” Lawson asked.
“Yes, I just …” Natalie answered. “It’s just …” Natalie stopped trying to talk through her crying.
Beth cleared her throat and began, “Jesse, you guys chose us to be part o
f your group because we are all Christians and we could survive better together. And you, Mary and David chose well. We are all Christians and we believe the Bible. We know what it says is true. Some people just say that, but for all of us up here, it’s real. We really believe the Bible. And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God. And yes, Lawson, we have prayed over this. But it’s still hard for us. Really hard.”
“I think what she is trying to say is,” Natalie tried to talk as she cried. “We know what is ahead, and we know where we are going. We’re just scared what will happen before then.”
“OK,” Jesse said. “I guess it is a little hard to get used to the shock. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes it is,” Beth answered. “I keep trying to stay positive. And you are right about trying to make jokes. Sometimes that helps.”
“I know, Beth,” Jesse answered and looked at the others. “It’s not easy. I think everyone up here has a little fear of what is in store for us. Getting attacked and all. You wouldn’t be human if you never felt afraid.”
“What about Wallace?”
“Alright, well –“
“I heard that Wallace laughed as he was getting shot at by the men in that helicopter.”
“OK, well, except for Wallace,” Jesse said as he smiled. Some people nearby smiled as they wiped away tears. “What I meant to say was, except for Wallace, you wouldn’t be human if you never felt afraid.”
“And we’re pretty sure that even Wallace is human,” Beth said as she sniffed and smiled, then looked at Keira.
“Look,” Jesse continued. “I don’t claim to have all the answers. But we all read and believe the Bible, don’t we? And these things, all of this, is predicted by the Bible. So we need to just stand firm and realize that God is in control. And, like the Bible says, all things work together for good for those who love God.”
“You said for us to stay strong,” Beth said. “That will take a while.”
“Sure, it will take some time to get used to the new world that we live in. But you need to stand firm. Remember what the Bible says about the devil prowling like a lion, looking for weak believers. Be strong.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Beth said. She cleared her throat and looked at Keira and Natalie.
“I guess I’m feeling a little better after talking about it,” Keira consoled herself.
Natalie sat up and looked at Jesse. “Same here. Maybe it helps to talk about it.” She looked at Keira.
Keira sniffed. “I admit it, Jesse, I would rather not be here. I think you know that.”
“That’s OK Keira,” Jesse answered. “I totally understand. I know exactly how you feel. We would all rather be back at our homes, pampered with soft beds, air conditioning and all of it. But it is what it is. The Last Days are upon us, and we need to do what it takes to survive. We don’t have any choice. Jesus said ‘the one who endures to the end will be saved.’ He was talking about us; our little group here. You too. And yes, Heaven is ahead for us, and not just for a year or two. Forever. Can you imagine that?” Jesse paused to let it sink in. “So stay strong.”
“OK, I’m feeling a little better,” Beth looked at Keira, Natalie and the others. “How are you guys feeling?” A few people wiped tears away, but the remainder of the group nodded in agreement.
The group sat quietly, sniffling and wiping tears. The mood improved somewhat.
“You know what I could use?” Beth asked Jesse, sounding more positive and trying to smile. “A Three Stooges movie. Or the Marx Brothers. Something silly that we can laugh at. Something funny.”
Justin, one of the so-called Happy Twins, spoke up. “I have a concert scheduled at the Eldorado Amphitheater in a few minutes. You are welcome to join us.” Justin held up and dangled the car keys. “That might be kind of silly. It might make you laugh.”
Tracy added, “Justin on the air drums, and I have been tuning up my air guitar. It should be a pretty good concert up there.”
Jesse smiled. “’Eldorado Amphitheater?’ Is that what you’re calling it now?”
Justin answered, “Yep, and people should bring their cigarette lighters, because they’re going to want an encore when we’re finished.”
Beth smiled. “I haven’t seen any of your shows yet, so this will be my first. They sound kind of funny. Who wants to join me?”
“OK, I’ll come,” Keira said, and looked at Natalie.
“Me too.” Several others nodded in agreement.
Melissa looked at Jesse and Mary. “Can I go too?”
Jesse looked at Beth. “Could you watch Melissa for us please?”
“OK.” Beth walked to Melissa. “Let’s go, Sweetie.”
“As the leader of this group,” Jesse said to the crowd as it began walking to the trail leading uphill and to the west, “I order you guys to have a good time up there. Work on your morale. That’s an order. Enjoy the show.”
****
CHAPTER 24
Justin, Tracy, and ten fans for their performance made their way up the hiking trail to the Cadillac Eldorado convertible that one of the families drove uphill and far in the back of Jesse and Mary’s property before getting it stuck. The car was located so far back on the property that no one at the camp could hear the music played there. Justin got inside the car, started the engine, disconnected the front convertible roof locks and pushed the button on the dashboard to fold the roof back.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let me present, Led Zeppelin! ‘D’yer Mak’er’!” Justin said to the people sitting down along the side of the car. He pushed his hits CD into the CD player, and turned the volume up high. He sat down on the top of the driver seat’s headrest and held two small, hard tree branches acted like he was playing drums on the top of the front windshield.
The song started with some drum beats that Justin matched exactly. He sang along with the song that he had heard so many times before. “Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, you don’t have to go!”
Tracy stood along the side of the car, and smiled as she watched Justin display his craft. Smiles broke out in the audience sitting next to the car.
*****
Jesse and Mary hiked up the steep trail on the way to the Cadillac, but stopped about fifty feet away, under the shade of some trees. They wanted to be near enough to watch the fun but yet far away enough so that they could talk and not disturb the party.
“You know,” Jesse began talking to Mary. “We have a great group of Christian preppers up here, and everyone has a skill or purpose to help everyone else. But there is something to be said about people whose best abilities are just to cheer other people up. Making people happy. That’s an important skill.”
Mary nodded.
“I think inviting Justin and Tracy was your idea, right?”
“Yeah. We didn’t know much about them, but it just felt right.”
“And of course being known around church as ‘the Happy Twins’ had an advantage.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Jesse and Mary looked behind them and saw David helping Lawson walk up the steep trail behind them. “Lawson wanted to see what all the fun was about,” David told Jesse and Mary as he helped Lawson walk by.
“Yeah, this looks fun,” Lawson agreed as he did his best to walk on the trail. “Let’s see if I can make it.”
“Let me know if you need any help, Lawson,” Jesse said.
“Thanks. I think he’ll make it,” David answered.
David and Lawson slowly walked closer to the car and Justin’s performance. Tracy jumped in front of everyone when the song had some guitar playing, and she acted like she was playing the guitar. It wasn’t so much that she was matching the guitar sounds with her imaginary guitar strumming, but it was her jumping around to the music, and her facial expressions that made it so entertaining. She bit her lower lip and acted like she was really fixated on playing her nonexistent guitar. More smiles broke out among the people sitting next to the car.
; The Led Zeppelin song came to an end and the audience around the car applauded. Justina and Tracy bowed, which brought about some smiles and claps.
The next song began. It was the 70’s song ‘You Should Be Dancing.’ Justin and Tracy asked everyone to get up and start dancing to the song. First Beth, then Melissa began dancing, and were soon joined by a couple others. Those who remained seated smiled at the dancing.
“Oh, I think I’m going to have a 70’s song overload,” Jesse told Mary. “At least they got a smile out of Natalie.”
Mary got serious and looked at Jesse. “On a serious note, in a few days we have several people going out into the world. Leaving our camp here. Wallace, Kathy, David, and I think that’s it.”