Tribulation

by Philip W Simpson

  “I think there’s more to it than that,” said Sam. “Before the Rapture, none of these people believed in God or Jesus. But how can they not now? They’ve seen it with their own eyes. They witnessed the Rapture. Have been preyed upon and stalked by demons. Some might have even seen angels. Everything predicted by the Bible is now coming true. How can you still be in denial in the face of that proof?”

  Grace snorted dismissively. “They may have said the words, but it’s only for their own self-preservation. Would you want to spend the rest of eternity in Hell?” She paused and looked at Sam slightly askance. “Well, maybe you’re not exactly a great example.” Sam smiled wryly at that.

  “So anyway,” she continued, “the word is that if you say the right things or perhaps make yourself a martyr, He’ll forgive you when you die or get taken to Hell and eventually you’ll be allowed back into his kingdom – whether it be in Heaven or on Earth after Jesus returns.”

  “So you aren’t going to welcome him into your heart?” he asked.

  Grace looked at him for a moment before answering. “If Jesus is so good, why did he take my parents and leave me all alone in the world? Why did he allow everyone else I’ve ever known, including my aunty and uncle, to be taken to Hell to suffer endless torment? Is that the sign of a good and caring being? I don’t think so. You probably should reconsider as well. It’s alright for everyone else to redeem themselves and be forgiven but not you. It doesn’t matter what you do, you won’t be welcome in Heaven or in his Kingdom on Earth.”

  Sam shrugged, not willing to get into this debate, primarily because a part of him agreed with her and it touched a raw nerve. Despite everything he’d done, everything he’d suffered and given up, he would never be allowed into Heaven. And he was one of the believers. He’d saved many innocents, just like he’d been instructed to do by the Archangel Gabriel. And his reward? Probably eternal suffering in Hell. Sam knew this was unfair but had resigned himself to it years ago. It didn’t mean it still didn’t hurt though. It was an open wound, which had a tendency to fester more and more these days.

  “You should see them,” smiled Grace. “Piling up in the church. Standing room only. Most of them spill out into the grounds. I don’t know how they can hear the soldier-turned-preacher up in the pulpit. The hospital is almost as bad. You’d think God saved them and not the antibiotics.” She shook her head sadly.

  “Wouldn’t it be easier for you just to accept Him rather than go through all this resistance?” he asked.

  “Who?” she asked innocently.

  “You know who,” he said. “Don’t be difficult. Do you really want to spend the rest of eternity in Hell when you can avoid it? You, more than anyone else around here, know what it’s like.”

  Grace suddenly lent forward, her face intent, lips pursed. “You think you know me, don’t you, Sam?” she hissed. “But you really don’t. You’ve never bothered to ask. If you had, you’d know that my parents were do-gooders, true believers. Went to church every Sunday. They tried to make me read the Bible but I wouldn’t. Didn’t want to. It seemed pointless to me. And you know what? After a while they gave up – gave up on me. Left me to my own devices. Why didn’t they try a little harder? If they had, I wouldn’t have been left here all by myself. They must have known what could happen. Did I really mean that little to them?”

  “I’m sure you meant everything to them,” said Sam, meaning every word. “It sounds like they tried but you were…stubborn.”

  Grace sat back. “You’re not making me feel any better.”

  “I know and I’m sorry. But are you really going to be so stubborn that you’ll allow yourself to be taken to Hell again when all this is over? I know you’re angry, but there are limits.”

  She shook her head. “Not for me, there aren’t.”

  “Don’t you want to see your parents again?”

  “Of course I do! How can you ask me that?” Her voice was rising again. Curious glances were cast in their direction. She lowered her voice. “But I don’t want them to say I told you so. I don’t think I could take that.”

  “So what are you going to do then?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know but there has to be another way.”

  They sat in silence for long moments. Sam didn’t know what to say in the face of her stubbornness. He really didn’t know what else to say to convince her. It was her decision to make, no-one else’s.”What have you been up to anyway?” he asked, keen to change the conversation. He also finally remembered to take a more personal interest in her. Years earlier, Aimi had told him that it was important to ask women questions about themselves. He hadn’t quite worked out why yet.

  Grace shrugged. Lately, she seemed to do that even more than Sam. “Nothing much. I went out on a couple of supply missions with the grunts but it was hardly anything to write home about. Found some food and guns at an old abandoned homestead. Even brought in a few stragglers that the demons had missed. Other than that, pretty boring.”

  “You should come out with me next time,” he said, trying his best to connect with her, trying desperately to repair the rift between them. She never gave him the chance.

  “With the great and mighty, Sam? Little old me?” She rolled her eyes. “Surely, I’d just slow you down. Heaven forbid that I might get captured again.”

  Sam picked up his tray and stood. There was no point in talking to her when she was in this mood. “I’ll see you later,” he said.

  On his way out, she called his name and he turned.

  “Do you ever think about him?” she asked.

  Sam stared at her for a moment, at a complete loss as to what to say. Like they shared a limited form of telepathy, he knew exactly who she was talking about.

  Joshua.

  Without another word, he turned and strode out of the mess hall, trying to outdistance the dark memories of the past.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Beightler Armory

  “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders…” 2 Thessalonians 2:9

  Sam sat in a chair in the waiting room outside Colonel Wheat’s office. Adam sat in the chair next to him, taking up both his armrest and Sam’s with his bulk and shifting restlessly. Chairs weren’t designed for someone like Adam.

  A desk sat in one corner. Behind it, sat a young man in the uniform of a lieutenant. The Colonel’s aide. Other than show a little deference to Adam, he’d basically ignored them since they had arrived. The intercom buzzed.

  “The Colonel will see you now,” he said.

  Both he and Adam stood. The lieutenant opened the door for them into the Colonel’s office. Inside, framed by a large window overlooking the base, was the Colonel desk, dominating the room with its size. A large leather chair, tattered but still useable, was filled with a man built almost as solidly as Adam. He stood as they entered, revealing a frame that was almost as tall as Sam’s. A very imposing figure, this Colonel Wheat, and Sam had found him to be fairly straight forward and honest too. He hadn’t warmed to him like he did Adam, but their relationship was still solid.

  Two chairs were set in front of the desk. Colonel Wheat bade them sit and only then did he resume his seat.

  “Welcome back, Sam,” he said, his solid, clean-shaven face breaking into a glimmer of a smile. “Those people with you were in pretty bad shape but we’ll have them sorted out in no time. Some of them look like they could make decent soldiers, too. I need some good bods on the towers.”

  He paused and looked between Sam and Adam. “I see you’ve renewed your acquaintance with Adam here. Funny story that.” He opened his desk drawer and rummaged around inside for a moment, finally pulling out a thick cigar and a gas lighter. Sam often thought that Colonel Wheat smoking a cigar was almost a caricature – he just looked so much of what he’d come to expect of a Colonel, more even than Colonel Sumner back in L.A. Colonel Wheat lit up and exhaled, sighing with obvious
pleasure.

  “These are in short supply these days. Next time you’re out, Sam, I’ll have to get you to find some more for me.”

  “Sure,” said Sam, noncommittally.

  “What was I saying?” he asked.

  “Funny story,” said Adam. Sam could hear the impatience in his voice. The Colonel had a tendency to get distracted sometimes.

  Colonel Wheat snapped his fingers. “Right! The Major turns up about a week ago. We get to talking. He mentions something about a half-demon boy he ran into a few years back at Black Ridge. I tell him we’ve got our own demon boy right here. Anyway, turns out you’re the same person. Small world, eh?” The Colonel took another long puff of his cigar and looked at Sam to see if he’d managed to get a reaction. The Colonel knew full well that Sam didn’t like to be called demon boy, so Sam suspected he was being tested.

  When Sam said nothing, the Colonel continued. “So, have you two had a chance to swap stories? No? Well, I guess before we get started on today’s business, you had better fill Sam in. Especially considering the two things are connected. Major?”

  Adam took the hint. “Well, I gather from the Colonel that you know about Black Ridge?” he said, addressing Sam.

  “I passed by that way,” said Sam. “Colonel Sumner said he’d lost contact with you. I assumed the worst but wanted to check it out for myself. When I got there, it looked like demons had worked the place over.”

  Adam nodded. His eyes took on a faraway look as he relived the events that took place three years earlier. “You’re not far wrong there. After you left, the demons came in force for a week. Horned demons, Astaroth – you name it. We resisted for the first few days but they wore us down. They’d knock down the walls as soon as we could repair them. Eventually, we just ran out of ammo. Even then, we held them off with spiked clubs and slingshots loaded with raw iron nuggets we found in the caves. But, on the last night, they came at us with more force than ever. Over a dozen Horned demons. You couldn’t see the sky through the wings of the Astaroth and the Lemure covered the killing ground in their thousands. Some of us got taken. A few tried to hold them off while the others made their escape. We unblocked one of the tunnels around the back of the mountain. The demons weren’t smart enough to think of that. Most got out that way.”

  “What about you?” asked Sam.

  “I stayed behind with the handful of volunteers. We had to buy the others some time.”

  Sam guessed as much. Adam wasn’t one to abandon a sinking ship at the first sign of water. He would’ve stayed until the bitter end. “So what happened?”

  Adam sighed and rubbed his huge hand through his cropped grey hair. It was a gesture Sam remembered. Reliving the past was clearly painful for Adam. “We were almost completely overrun. There were only three of us left by that stage, the others having managed to get out. Well, I hope they got out at any rate. The walls had fallen and demons were everywhere. I think I was fighting with my hands at that point.” He smiled to himself with the thought. “I’d made some gloves studded with iron spikes. Very effective. I told the other two to run, get away through the tunnels and they did. But it was too late. As they were running, Astaroth swooped out of the sky and snatched them up. Just like that, they were gone and I was alone. I retreated to the mouth of the caves and that’s when another Horned demon charged me. Luckily, its aim was off. Instead of hitting me, it hit the side of the cave entrance. The impact caused the entrance to collapse. The last thing I remember is rocks raining down on me.”

  Adam paused again, lost in the moment. Sam shook his head in amazement. Adam was incredible.

  “When I regained consciousness,” he continued, “I was alone. The rock fall had completely blocked the entrance so at least I was safe for the moment. Of course, I was pinned under a massive boulder. It took me two days to free myself and open up a hole wide enough for me to squeeze through. I didn’t rest that entire time, scared that the demons would find their way through the back entrance. Obviously, they didn’t bother or I wouldn’t be here now. When I emerged outside, thankfully it was daylight and I was able to get my bearings. I went back inside the cave complex through the back, collected a few supplies and left. The cave was compromised. There was nothing left for me there.”

  “What happened to the others?” asked Sam. “Did they get away?”

  Adam shook his head. “I don’t know for sure. Some I found later on, but others - many others - must have been taken.”

  “And what did you do then?”

  “I walked. Sometimes I got lucky and found a vehicle. Once, I even flew but the engine choked after a few miles and almost killed me. Went through Arizona and then into California. Found Colonel Sumner and spent a few months working with him. That’s when I got promoted. It was good there for a while, but then I just had to leave.”

  “Why?” asked Sam.

  Adam shrugged his massive shoulders. “I felt restless. I knew that Colonel Sumner was doing a heap to help the people of California and especially Los Angeles, but it wasn’t enough for me. I had to do more. The Colonel had got in touch with some other survivors – especially military - in the southern states and so that’s where I headed. Took me the best part of a year but I found myself in Florida.”

  Sam was astounded. “But that’s several thousand miles!” he exclaimed.

  Adam smiled ruefully. “Don’t my feet know it. Anyway, I heard that one Eglin Air Force Base was still operational and I headed for it. When I got there, I was impressed. They had a full scale operation going on there and were well supplied. They put me to work and I was busy for well over a year, searching for survivors, hunting demons and the like. Then the submarine arrived.”

  Sam sat more upright. Had he heard correctly? “What submarine?”

  Adam laughed. “I thought that would get your attention. Yeah, it was a submarine alright. Part of the British navy. Unlike most of our navy, it had survived the tsunamis largely because it was in deep water when the Rapture came. Anyway, after the Rapture was over and things seemed to be settling down, the sub returned to England. It seemed things were a little better there than they were here but communications were still a problem. The sub and crew helped out where they could and things even improved for a while, thanks to some inspired leadership from someone in Europe.”

  Warning bells were going off in Sam’s head now. Inspired leadership? To him that meant only one thing: The Antichrist had returned. His brother.

  Both Colonel Wheat and Adam had been watching Sam carefully for his reaction. He didn’t disappoint them. The shock must have been evident on his face.

  “So the Brits filled us in on this inspiring leader,” interrupted Colonel Wheat. “Seems he came out of nowhere about two years ago. Very charismatic and charming. That kind of thing. Wrapped whatever leadership was left in Europe around his little finger. Formed a new Pan-European government and got himself elected as its president. Things were going well. Even the demons didn’t appear as often, almost like this leader somehow had the power to keep them away.”

  “What name did he give?” asked Sam.

  “Mr. Sazaimes was the only name he went by,” said Adam

  Sam almost laughed out loud which would have been highly uncharacteristic of him. He restrained the impulse with an effort. Mr. Sazaimes? So his brother was alive after all? He should’ve known. During their last battle, he had run him through with his sword, a blow that would’ve killed anyone else outright. It appeared, however, that his family was rather difficult to kill. His twin had some cheek though. Hadn’t even bothered to disguise his name very much.

  The Colonel was eyeing him sharply. “What’s so funny?”

  Sam sobered quickly. “It’s not that funny. It’s just that my brother – the Antichrist – his name is Semiazas. Mr. Sazaimes is simply Semiazas spelled backwards.”

  Adam looked grim. “That’s what the people of Europe eventually figured out but by then it was too late.”

  “So what happened next?�
�� asked Sam, although he already knew. So far, all of this was part of scripture in the Bible. These events had been mapped out for thousands of years.

  “Jerusalem was declared an international city,” continued Adam. “Within it, all religions had equal rights which was hailed as a progressive move. Given that the world was in turmoil, it was a popular decision.”

  “Makes sense,” agreed Sam. “It’s all part of my father’s and brother’s plan to bring people gradually onto the side of Satan. Ease them into it, if you like.”

  “Do we have any idea of the sort of numbers we are talking about here?” asked Colonel Wheat.

  “If you mean how many demon worshippers we are potentially looking at, then according to what my master Hikari taught me, probably a billion people got taken up in the Rapture. That means that there were roughly six billion people left on the planet. That was three and a half years ago though. Judging from what I’ve seen here in the States, lots more have died or been taken since. There’s no way there’ll be anything like those numbers left now. Not only that, but the outbreak of disease seems to be taking its toll.”

  According to scripture, in the last half of the Tribulation, disease would become more rife. Sam could attest to that, having seen it first-hand. He’d also seen the base’s hospital. It was almost full, mostly with cases of the bubonic plague which had run riot especially during the last few months. It didn’t surprise Sam given the amount of rats he’d seen. Rats that were often the only source of food the survivors had. Any bodies that Sam had encountered outside the base usually had signs of the disease – swelling, gangrene in the extremities and bleeding from the ears.

  When the disease had first emerged in the fourteen century, it had killed an estimated twenty five million people – almost fifty per cent of the European population at the time. They had no cure. Even now, in the modern age, without access to antibiotics, humans were just as susceptible as they had been back then. Probably more so given the weakened state of most survivors. Outside the bastions of survival that were mostly military bases, things were grim for what remained of the human race.